


Yellow Beauty Burns Gold

by Barbara_Lazuli



Series: Mighty Morphing Fairy Tales [1]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Beauty and the Beast AU, F/F, like no living furnitures sorry, won completely be like the movies tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-27 01:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15014006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barbara_Lazuli/pseuds/Barbara_Lazuli
Summary: After leaving their land and moving from village to village, Trini has heard of many stories. Of princesses being woken up by a kiss, princes being cursed into frogs, and, the most popular ones, dragons keeping princesses in prison.Trini never thought she would ever actually meet a dragon, or expect it to be the princess herself.





	1. Red Like Roses

**Author's Note:**

> fic and chapter titles are from the song "Red Like Roses" performed by Casey Lee Williams for the show RWBY
> 
> i know, i know, i got a lot of au's already. but i just couldn't resist!! i got everything figured out for this au, so it's highly possible that i'll finish it.
> 
> this is also a little different to what i'm used to writing, so constructive criticism is welcome :)

The hall is filled with women in their beautiful, billowing dresses, being spun by dashing men and their strong arms. They dance, eat, and mingle, celebrating Princess Kimberly's coronation that is to come in three days, even though she's only sixteen. Early as it may be, it can't be helped, considering King Theodore and Queen Madison have just passed away.

Kimberly remains seated on her throne, watching her guests dance with blank eyes. She can just imagine her mother scolding her for not putting on a smile during such an important event, or her father offering her his hand so that she can at least dance with one man, but that's all she can do - imagine. The reminder of her parent's death breaks her heart.

All the people who told her she was lucky to be born to royalty in spite of having a mother who hailed from another land didn't know anything. All she wants to do at the moment is bury herself beneath the covers of her bed and cry until her eyes are red and her throat is sore, but she can't even do that because she has a kingdom to lead and a heavy crown to bear. Can her people really rely on a queen who is on the verge of falling apart?

"Would you care to dance, your Highness?"

Tyler, the son of Duke Flemming, bows in front of her with an outstretched hand. He flashes her a smile that would have charmed her five days ago, before she received a letter about the late King and Queen's ship being destroyed after a horrible storm. Now she only shakes her head and levels him with a blank look, not even bothering to fake a smile. If she's not allowed to cry, then she won't bother to smile.

"No thank you, Tyler," she says curtly. "I'm tired."

His face falls a tiny bit, but he persists. "But you haven't danced tonight once. It's your party. Don't you owe it to your guests?"

Kimberly feels a spike of rage hit her. "I already lost my parents. I don't owe them something as silly as a dance, not even you. We're not married yet, Tyler."

Tyler clenches his jaw but holds his tongue. They may be arranged to wed, but he knows Kimberly will still be in charge of the kingdom. He bows one last time before going to the dance floor and finding another partner.

"That was brutal," a familiar voice says. "I thought you liked Flemming."

Kimberly looks to her right at Jason, standing at her side with his armor on but his head bear of his helmet.

His bright blue eyes briefly glance at her until she rolls her eyes.

"What I liked was his face and the way he kissed." She almost smiles when Jason pretends to gag. "It doesn't mean I'd happily accept the title 'Queen Flemming'."

"Good thing he'll be King Hart instead, then," another familiar voice says.

It was Billy, his youthful face almost enough to lift Kimberly's spirit, with Zack walking beside him. Like Jason, their armor gleams with the light of the chandeliers reflecting on it's metal surface. They bow and Kimberly waves it off with a scoff. They have been playmates since they were children, but they still do it for formalities' sake, especially in public.

"So Samuel let you guys enjoy the party for once?" Kimberly asks with the first smile that night.

"So long as we stay by your side, Princess," Zack says, cheeks already full of food.

"He didn't have to say so, though," Billy says. "We'd be by your side regardless."

Kimberly smiles gratefully, though it would have been a much better sentiment if Zack wasn't shoving more pastries down his throat from behind him.

"How are you feeling?" Jason asks.

Kimberly mulls that over, considering if she should answer honestly.

"Like my parents just died and I'm about to marry a man named Flemming." When the three boys only awkwardly exchange glances, Kimberly puffs out a breath and lazily rests her chin on her hand. "So, yes. Quite horrible."

Jason looks like he wants to hug Kimberly, which he probably would do if there weren't countless people from Kimberly's court dancing in front of them. Instead he gets down on one knee, looking at her with the most earnest look Kimberly had ever seen on him. 

"I promise, we're here for you, Kim. No matter what."

Billy does the same. "As your knights we'll protect you with our lives and fight for you and this kingdom."

Zack kneels, too. His expression is serious for once, mouth free of food. "And as your friends, we're here for the holes your parents left. We'll fill it in whatever way we can."

Kimberly feels her chest swell with emotion, looking at these three young men who used to race her up a tree when they were twelve. She loves them, very much so. But she isn't sure if there are any holes to fill, since her heart feels more like it's been cracked in half. 

She stands suddenly, looking up at the too bright chandelier, hoping that the heat from it would dry her eyes even though moments ago she wished she could cry.

_Just not here._

"I need to get some fresh air," she says and holds up a hand when they stand with the intent to follow her. "Alone." She smiles. "I love that you're always there for me, but I don't wish for you to take that literally. I'll be back."

Zack and Billy look to Jason, who nods. "Five minutes. Then we'll come get you."

She says a quick thank you before going to the patio. The cold air hits her skin as the first of her tears fall. She continues walking, into what used to be her mother's garden and crouches in the middle of the late queen's rose shrubs. Sobs wrack her entire body, the smell of the roses reminding her of Queen Madison and she cries even harder.

Queen Madison loved this garden. Kimberly remembers when she was younger, around the age of eight, being jealous of the time her mother spent tending to the flowers. The queen was already busy as it is, so little Kimberly pouted at the fact that even plants that could be watered by the gardeners borrowed whatever little time her mother had. 

She's considering having the garden removed, her mother was the one who loved it anyway. Kimberly doesn't care for it. She doesn't really want another reminder of what she lost.

But then she hears rustling. She takes out her handkerchief and wipes her face clean. Even if Jason, Billy, and Zack are her good friends, she isn't going to let them see her tear-stained face if she can help it.

She stands, preparing herself to at least keep a composed expression in front of the boys, but she doesn't see them, not even Jason.

There's a woman standing in the middle of her mother's garden. The rags she's wearing and the way she's crouching to make herself as little as possible tells Kimberly that she definitely wasn't in the guest list. She has no idea how she got past Samuel and the other knights guarding her castle. 

She approaches the intruder as quietly as she can. She can't properly see in the dark lighting but as she nears she finally notices that the woman is clipping roses from the rows of bushes, hastily putting them on a basket that is almost full.

Memories suddenly hit Kimberly, of Queen Madison looking proudly at her roses when she sees how beautifully they had bloomed, of King Theodore sometimes pulling her mother to an impromptu dance that the queen laughs at, of sharing breakfast with her parents...

Regret is what she first feels. How can she even think of getting rid of this garden? Her mother would have scolded her.

Then rage. Who is this woman, thinking she can ruin the late queen's garden and stealing from it, even if they were just flowers.

But Kimberly really can't be sure if she had stolen anything else.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The woman jumps and Kimberly finally sees her face when she turns to her. She's an older woman, with greying hair framing a bony but surprisingly clean face considering what she's wearing. 

"Oh, the princess!" the stranger says but doesn't bow or cower in fear for she has just been caught. She just continues cutting away, like what she's doing isn't offending to a future queen who just lost her mother. "I won't take too long, don't worry. Just need some of these for a certain potion. Ingredients like these are quite hard to come by."

Kimberly's face twists in indignation, frustration, and confusion. Who does this woman think she is? Potion? Ingredients?

"What the hell are you talking about? Those were my mother's roses!"

The woman laughs but doesn't spare Kimberly a glance. "I never thought I'd ever hear a princess swear. It's not the roses themselves that are special, dear. It's what they meant to a _queen_."

Another flash of anger hits Kimberly at the flippant way the woman mentioned her mother. Her hand moves to harshly grab the woman's wrist. "I don't like the way you talk about my mother. And to me, frankly. Who do you think you are?"

The woman has the nerve to roll her green eyes. "Who do you think _you_ are, girl? Having all that power passed on to you just because your parents died. Does that mean I should bow down to you?"

Kimberly can feel her face redden with anger now. "How dare you, you dirty peasant!" 

She raises her free hand to strike but the woman catches her by the wrist. She pushes her and Kimberly falls to the ground, one of the hands that she used to brace herself lands on the stem of one rose that fell. The thorns prick her palm and she immediately retreats it to her chest. A quick inspection shows Kimberly the blood bubbling out of the small but deep cuts.

"Funny how something so lovely can cause so much pain, huh, Princess?" the woman says as she picks up the flower that cut her. "You really shouldn't have done that. I was just going to quietly take some roses and take my leave. But you just had to confront me."

"Kimberly!"

Jason, Billy, and Zack come running to her aid, holding their respective weapons, but Kimberly doesn't feel relieved. Somehow she feels an ominously powerful energy coming from the woman in front of her, feeling like what she had heard through hushed rumors, of people who can control forces people have yet to comprehend.

They stand in front of her protectively and Kimberly has this strange feeling that they shouldn't.

Billy lets the others stay on guard as he lets his spear rest on the ground so he can inspect the hand Kimberly is cradling. "Kim, you're hurt."

Jason frees his sword from its scabbard and points it at the woman. "How dare you hurt the princess!"

Zack grips his hatchets tightly. "I don't fancy hurting a woman, but try and do whatever you did to Princess Kimberly again and I won't hesitate."

The woman rolls her eyes, unaffected by any of them, even with Billy now at a fighting stance.

"Really now?" the woman says, sounding exasperated. She pulls out a pocket watch from her robes then winces. "I have wasted more time here than I planned."

"What the hell is this lady even talking about?" Zack harshly whispers.

"This lady is named Rita," the woman answers for him. "And she hates children who waste her time and ignorant spoiled brats who throw tantrums for a mother who didn't even care for them."

Zack, ever the most impulsive one, charges at Rita, but she only waves her hand once before Zack stills.

"Zack?" Kimberly says with her brows furrowed in concern.

"I... can't... move..."

"What did you do to him, wench?!" Jason says.

Rita's brow twitches once before she raises her other hand, curling her fingers as if she's gripping something. 

Jason's sword falls to the ground. He clutches at his neck and makes choking sounds, as if something was strangling him.

Billy's eyes widen. "Jason!" He clenches his jaw before he aims his spear and throws it at Rita's head. 

She disappears in a puff of smoke and reappears behind Kimberly. "This is why youngsters shouldn't be accepted into knighthood so early. So brash. Now look. You're unarmed." 

Rita raises both hands and Kimberly feels a malicious surge of energy surround the garden. She drops her hands and a flash of green makes Kimberly squeeze her eyes shut. She hears the sound of heavy, metal objects hitting the floor. She blinks her eyes open, preparing to see her three friends collapsed on the garden floor, but she's only met with the sight of abandoned weapons and empty suits of armor.

"Where... what did you do to them?!"

Rita waves a hand dismissively. "Made them one with their duty... or something like that. Maybe they'll treat knighthood a little more seriously now."

Tears prick Kimberly's eyes, angry and terrified tears. She can't afford to lose them, too. She can't.

She swipes Jason's sword from the ground and strikes, too devastated and blinded by rage to be disgusted of the sword easily sinking into Rita's stomach.

"Bring them back, you bitch!" Kimberly hisses.

Rita has the nerve to smile even as she is impaled, blood dripping from her thin lips. 

"It looks like the little rose has thorns," she taunts. "Why don't I show you what you really are?"

The sword disappears from Kimberly's grip and from Rita's body entirely. The witch raises her hands again and some sort of green energy swirls around Kimberly and consumes her. Pain, hot, throbbing pain surrounds her body and she cries out in agony.

"An ignorant child," Rita drawls, "who stole a woman away from her kingdom. Who kept her shackled, oblivious to how much she was resented."

If Kimberly wasn't feeling so much pain, her skin burning so much it feels like it's boiling, her bones cracking audibly, she would've given Rita's words more thought, had the time to feel confused. But she only cries out in misery. 

When she manages to open her eyes the slightest bit, she sees it. Scales forming on her hand and arms, and Kimberly doesn't doubt that the burning sensation throughout her body means that other parts of her skin are being covered by the pink scales.

She feels more agonizing pain on her back and she screams. Now long and sharp nails bury themselves in concrete as the sharp pain continues. Kimberly briefly hears her clothes ripping before the sound of something flapping registers her ears and a gust of wind hits her face. She looks behind her and is bewildered to see wings.

"Like a dragon who kept a princess prisoner," Rita says. "That's what you are."

Kimberly tries to scream again, but a deafening roar is what comes out of her mouth. 

Rita twirls a rose between her fingers, its thorns still fresh with Kimberly's blood. "Since this pitiful flower means so much to you, keep it." She throws it and it lands on the concrete where Kimberly is still crouched in pain. "Take good care of it, girl. It's your life now."

Just as she disappears in a puff of green smoke, Kimberly hears the tell tale sound of more knights approaching. It's as if they couldn't get to the garden until Rita disappeared.

"What in the world..?"

Samuel stands at the forefront with wide eyes filled with confusion and fear. The knights behind him try their seem unafraid, weapons aimed at Kimberly.

"S-Sam..." Kimberly whimpers, but Samuel doesn't hear her.

He takes one look at the empty suits of armor, recognizes the sword of his son. She sees his eyes flash with rage as he raises his own sword at her. "What did you do to them? Where's the princess? You beast!"

Another surge of pain hits her back, like her wings are not quite done forming. She roars and the sound spooks the knights.

"Shoot at it!" Samuel orders the archers and arrows rain down on Kimberly.

It happens by instinct. Although she only now got her wings, she flaps them, hard enough to produce a strong gust of wind to redirect the arrows. The other knights grip their swords, spears, and other weapons, charging at her.

Kimberly flaps her wings again, keeps doing it until she feels her feet lift away from the ground. She spares one last glance at the three empty suits of armor, desperately hoping that Jason, Zack, and Billy somehow come back. But more arrows are shot at her, so she flies away, somewhere deep in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it so far! 
> 
> pov's will be from both kim and trini, just varies depending on the chapter. next chapter will have trini :D


	2. White Is Cold And Always Yearning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini should have thought better about running into the harsh, cold winter, but she still thinks it would be better than what she's running away from

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy moly i didnt expect this to get as much feedback as it did haha thank you so much!

"It's true, Trini!" Robbie whines.

Trini rolls her eyes at her brothers. The rickety cart's wheels hit every bump on the road and makes them and the few items they didn't get to sell at the market bounce, but the pouch full of coins she's clutching shows that it was still a fruitful trip. There would have been a lot more people if winter hadn't just started, but things went well considering. The boys just finished retelling their sister a story, as they always do to fill the silence during their trips.

She pulls her cloak tighter around her as she drawls, "oh, yes, sure. Six years ago, a huuuge dragon somehow got past a fully guarded castle, ate the princess and thirty soldiers, spit out the armor like watermelon seeds, and flew off, like it just fancied eating at a pub and ran away without paying."

Gabby narrows her eyes at her before shouting at their father who is at the reins. "Papa! Trini's using sarcasm on us again!"

"Play nice with your brothers, Trinidad," Antonio half-heartedly scolds. 

Trini sighs. "All I'm saying is that it sounds much too ridiculous to be true. That story about that Ella or something girl marrying a prince for having the right foot size? Stupid, but, sure, gold diggers exist. That girl with fifty foot long hair trapped in a tower? Sounds like a _bother_ to wash but not impossible. But you're talking about _dragons_."

Robbie pouts. "But Pearl said it was true. Her father saw it, she said."

Gabby nods at his twin. "Her older brother was one of the knights that got eaten. Why would she lie about that?"

The smirk on Trini's face gets wiped off at that. She looks at her brothers, looking a little crestfallen at the possibility that their friend might have lied about something so serious. 

She crawls to them as best she can in the unsteady cart and holds one of their hands in each of her own. 

"Okay, so maybe she didn't lie. Maybe she believes that's how she lost her brother. But just because we believe in something doesn't mean it's true."

Gabby and Robbie share a glance before they look at Trini again and nod. 

"Well, was it at least an interesting story?" Gabby asks.

Trini blinks. "Uh... yeah, I guess."

They both smile. Robbie says, "that's good. We know how much you love the stories in this land."

Trini feels her face flush. "I don't _love_ them. They're ridiculous!"

Gabby scoffs. "You've read those three battered books we found a hundred times already, Trini."

Robbie hums in agreement. "No need to be shy. We know you like the stories we tell you. Why else would you listen?"

Trini crosses her arms, stubborn and indignant. "Because I'm bored."

They feel the cart come to a stop then, their father announcing that they have arrived. Her brothers climb out first, excitedly whooping until they stop to stare at something, and when Trini comes out, she sees it, too. Parked in front of the inn they are temporarily staying in is a gorgeous forest green carriage tied to two handsome black horses. It makes their old cart and tired, mud and snow covered horse look even more like rubbish than they already are.

She can already see her brothers' desire to touch the horses' shiny coat, so she keeps hold of their collar before they even take another step closer toward them.

"That looks a little too fancy to be parked in front of an inn," Trini muses to her father.

"Maybe it's the landlord paying a visit?" Antonio shrugs. "I'll get Dante settled in the stables, alright? You and the boys go ahead."

He pulls on the reins and leaves his children as they enter the inn. The old inn keeper smiles sweetly at the three of them as she usually does, but something about the twinkle in her eyes tells Trini that something has happened.

"Why do you look so happy, Ma'am?" asks Trini, who can't help but copy the old woman's smile. 

The inn keeper leans past the counter and says in a hushed voice. "There's a young man looking for you."

Trini's face falls, then. Her amusement gets replaced by confusion. "What? Are you sure?"

She nods. "He said he was looking for a beautiful young woman named Trini who came from a foreign land. It was a good thing your mother just returned. He's with her in your room right now." She winks. "He's a very handsome fella."

Robbie and Gabby "oooooh" but Trini can only feel her frown deepen. She doesn't remember having any significant encounters with a possibly rich man.

She doesn't care how handsome he may be. A man taking interest in her does not sound very pleasing.

She briefly thanks the inn keeper and tells her brothers to behave before they make their way up to their room. June opens the door for them, smiling wider than Trini has ever seen her do.

"Trini! Finally, you're back!" June hugs her tightly, surprising her daughter. It's been a while since she last got a hug from her. "Sir Thomas has been waiting for you."

"Sir who?"

"It is a pleasure to see you again," the deep voice of a young man says.

There are two strangers in their room. One is a pale young man with shaggy red hair, and Trini decides that she doesn't like the way he's looking at her. The other one, the one who spoke, is tall with jet black hair neatly tied in a low ponytail. His blindingly white smile enhances his handsome features, but the sight only makes Trini's frown deepen. Especially now that she realizes who "Thomas" is.

"You were the man who purchased from us the other day," Trini says.

Thomas looks delighted to be recognized. "Yes, that was me."

He moves closer to her but Trini takes a step back. "Was there a problem with the merchandise you purchased, Sir?"

Thomas laughs. "Oh, no, no. Nothing like that." He puffs his chest up proudly. "I am here to ask for your hand in marriage, my dear Trinidad."

June squeals over the sounds of bewilderment her brothers are making. The red headed boy claps and Thomas grins.

But Trini's confusion only grows. "Wait what!? You don't even know me."

Thomas takes another step closer, and this time June prevents her from stepping back. 

"That won't be a problem. From the moment I saw your beautiful face, I have fallen for you."

Trini wants to cringe, or laugh. But this isn't one of those pranks that Robbie and Gabby pull on her. This idiot is serious.

"That's great and all," Trini lies, "but _I_ still don't know _you_." When June discretely pinches her arm, she hastily adds, "Sir."

Thomas hits his own forehead with his palm. "Of course! How could I forget?" He snaps his fingers at the red headed boy. "Colt! Tell the lady exactly who I am."

"Oh my god," Trini mutters under her breath.

The red headed boy, Colt, clears his throat before beginning his spiel. "This is Sir Thomas Oliver the second, son of Lord Thomas Oliver who has owned this land ever since the fall of the royal Hart family. He is one of this land's greatest swordsmen, defeating many foes before him, even a dragon."

Thomas nods with a satisfied grin as Robbie and Gabby stare in awe. But Trini crosses her arms in front of Thomas' boyish grin.

"A _dragon_? I thought they weren't real."

Thomas shakes his head. "Oh no, m'lady. They may not exist in whatever foreign land you came from, but they are very real here." He takes her hand and earnestly looks her in the eye. "I can offer you anything you may want, and protect you from any ferocious monster. I assure you. There is no man like me. And I can be yours. All you need to do is say 'yes'."

Trini quickly pulls her hand away when he leans down to kiss it. She tries her best to hide her grimace. She really does. "I am... very honored... Sir Thomas -"

"You can just call me 'Tommy'," he winks. "'Thomas' is my father's name."

She pretends to look like she'll do that. "But I'll have to apologize. My family doesn't plan on staying here long. We're travelling merchants."

"Trini!" June suddenly exclaims. "I think what my daughter means to say is that this was all much too sudden. We'll have to make some arrangements if we plan to stay here longer than intended."

Tommy blinks his disappointment away and smiles. "Of course! I will have proper living quarters arranged for you as soon as tomorrow." He takes Trini's hand again but this time she isn't quick enough to pull away before he's kissing it. "I will take my leave, for now, my love. And give you time to think about my proposal."

Trini couldn't answer, too busy gaping at him, so her mother does for her. He kisses her hand, too, making June swoon, before leaving with Colt.

"What..." Trini's still staring at the closed door. "What the hell just happened?"

"I think you just became Cinderella," Robbie says

”But without the shoe," Gabby adds.

No, that doesn't sound right. That doesn't sound like her story at all.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

"Are you crazy?! There is no way I'm marrying that buffoon!"

But June isn't listening to her. She continues packing their things and humming to herself while her daughter screams hysterically at her. 

When Antonio sees the look of distress on the twins' faces, he takes both their hands and mumbles something about needing their help feeding Dante.

"Did you forget?" Trini continues to say. "I told you, Mama. I'm not interested in men. I -"

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence, Trinidad. I did not raise you to be that way."

Trini ignores the ache in her chest at the way her mother is looking at her. "So, what then? Did you raise me to be some day married into a rich family?"

" _Mija_ , can't you see? This is our family's chance for a better life. To be kicked out by our own family was unfortunate, and we have been travelling ever since. But because of Sir Thomas' love for you, we finally don't have to do that anymore."

Trini shakes her head. "Never once did I complain. We never had much, but I cherished it."

"But things can be better. For the boys, for us. We won't have to sleep in tents or inns anymore. Just think of what's best for this family. Please, don't be so selfish, Trini."

Trini scoffs her tears away. "Is that it?" she snaps. "I'm just one of the items you sell for profit?!"

"You might as well be!" June snaps back. "They are at the very least more useful than you have ever been!"

Trini's unable to stop the tears then. She can't believe what she just heard her own mother say. She never thought that she and her mother got along well, but she at least hoped that she meant even a little bit more than that to her.

She thinks she sees regret on June's face, but it's hard to tell when your eyes are blurry with tears. She grabs her cloak and makes her way out of their room, out of the inn, ignores her mother's calls and decides that it was just the cold wind.

She doesn't know where she's going. She hasn't been in this village long enough to know where every thing is. All she knows is that she wants to be away from her family. They never had a place to call home, and it seems that isn't what she can call them either. 

Fog comes out of her mouth every time she breathes, and her feet ache due to the amount of time she's walked and the frost she steps on. She pulls her coat tighter around herself. 

She's freezing, but she doesn't want to go back. Not yet. 

"Hey, aren't you Sir Thomas' girl?" someone's slurry voice says.

It's the red headed boy from before, Colt. Trini ended up in front of a pub, and Colt must have just finished having a little more than a pint, judging by his red cheeks and unfocused eyes.

"It is you!" he staggers towards her. She turns to walk away, but he was quick enough to block her. "Hey, hey, why are you out here so late, m'lady?"

Trini doesn't answer. He leans his face closer to her, and Trini cringes at the smell of alcohol. 

"You look like you were crying," he says, placing a warm hand on her chin to make her face him. She considers elbowing him in the gut, and Colt notices, making sure she sees him hold the handle of the gun at his waist. "You really are beautiful. It's no wonder my master fell for you." He tuts. "I just wish your skin was lighter."

Trini snaps then, fear of guns be damned. Her knee shoots up and hits Colt in the crotch. He cries out and falls to the snow. She takes her chance and runs, with no destination in mind, just 'away'.

She runs faster when he hears his voice from behind her, accidentally going deeper into the forest. She stops only when she no longer hears Colt, her lungs burning and her heart racing. She leans on a tree as she catches her breath, sliding down the rough bark until she's crouching on the snow.

She's tired from walking so long and she's weak from hunger. She hasn't eaten since the bread they shared earlier in the morning, and the sun had set since before they got back at the inn. 

Her whole body is shivering from the cold and everything is starting to feel heavy, even the lids of her eyes. She knows she shouldn't give in. She'll die if she sleeps. But she doesn't know where she is, doesn't know how she'll get back, and isn't even sure if she _wants_ to go back.

It only takes the memory of her mother's words echoing in her mind before she succumbs and falls to the snow. 

Every thing is starting to numb and Trini wonders if this is what dying feels like. She wonders if the sound of wings flapping means that an angel has come for her, wonders if the strong wind hitting her face means she's being taken to heaven. 

If all of that is true, then heaven smells a lot like roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> boy i gotta stop ending chapters in a depressing note hahaha
> 
> next chapter will be a little happier.


	3. Black the Beast Descends from Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seems Trini wasn't brought to "heaven". She wasn't carried by an angel either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again the chapter title is from the song "Red Like Roses", if you're wondering why the beast is black instead of pink in the title
> 
> editing here was half-assed, so i apologise for any mistakes haha
> 
> thank you so much for the support and feedback guys :D

Trini feels warmth thawing her cold body. That's the first thing she registers. 

She can feel the thick blankets wrapped around her still shivering body. She doesn't even have the energy to open her eyes yet, but her ears are perfectly working. She strains her ears and hears voices over the crackling of fire.

"I couldn't just leave her there!" a girl's voice says.

"She's right, Jason," another voice says, this time male and calmer. "She would've died."

"You wouldn't want a beautiful lady like that becoming a popsicle, would you?" a second boy says almost teasingly. There's a sound of something growling then something hitting metal. "Sorry, sorry. No need to be so rough. I don't need any more dents, please."

Someone sighs, a third boy saying, "I'm not saying that you shouldn't have saved her. But you know it's dangerous if anyone saw you. You should have just called for us."

"I didn't know if I had the time," the girl grumbles.

Trini sneezes then, and it's followed by the sound of more rattling metal. Trini groans and slowly sits up. 

She hears something flapping and feels a gust of wind that slightly makes her shiver.

"Ah..." the second boy tuts. "And there she goes."

Trini blinks her eyes open, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the room that's only illuminated by a nearby lit fireplace.

There are three figures in front of her, all of them wearing a knight's armor. With their identical helmets on, it's hard to distinguish one from the other, except for the different colored scarves on each of their neck area: red, blue, and black.

"Oh hey!" Black Scarf cheers. "The crazy girl's awake!"

"Zack, don't call her that," Blue Scarf says. "It's kind of rude."

"Any one who would run into the forest during winter to take a nap is crazy, Billy," Black Scarf, now known as "Zack", says.

Red Scarf must be "Jason", but the girl is no where to be seen. Jason moves to approach, but Trini flinches, grabs the nearest object, and brandishes it threateningly in front of her. She has met all kinds of men during her travels, and the knights she's met aren't really as gallant as her books make them out to be. 

"Don't step any closer," Trini hisses, her encounter with Colt still fresh on her mind. "Touch me and I won't hesitate."

Jason and Billy's helmets turn toward each other, as if having a silent conversation, while Zack laughs mirthfully.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Zack says through his laughter and it's already starting to irritate her. "Lady, no offence, but I don't think a pillow would do much."

Trini looks down, and sure enough, she's pointing a pillow at three fully armored men. She only now realizes that she's on a plush couch, and the nearest thing she grabbed was a damn pillow.

Shamed but indignant, she throws it to his head as an act of mere pettiness. Her eyes widen when the impact causes his helmet to fall off, revealing his lack of a human head, or any head at all. 

Trini screams, "You... your head!"

Zack's hands reach up but only feels empty air. He screams, too. "Jason! Jason! I've lost my head!"

Jason hits him hard on the back while Billy hands him his empty helmet, saying, "actually, it's right here."

Trini feels her face pale as she watches Jason scold Zack for "revealing what they were" and Billy trying to reason that "he couldn't have known she'd throw the pillow at him." 

Moments ago she was about to freeze to death deep in the forest. Now she's in an unknown room that looks like it belongs in a fancy mansion, outnumbered by what seems to be living empty suits of armor.

They must be ghosts. Ghosts can posses objects, right? But why did they bring her here? So that they can possess an actual body with flesh?

Trini looks around and spots a door on the far side of the room and a chair to the right of the couch she's sitting on. She clenches her jaw and takes a sobering breath. As quickly as she could, she stands and grabs the chair. With one big swing, she hits all three of them, the parts of their armor scattering to the carpeted floor after a loud clang.

"Ahh! What the?!" Zack's voice says, though she isn't sure from from which of the scattered pieces on the floor.

"Jason, this feels weird," Billy's voice says.

Trini watches in horror as the empty parts wiggle around and attempt to reassemble themselves. They'll be whole again soon. She doesn't have much time. 

She drops the chair and bolts out of the door. She crosses the long, barely lit hallway, ignoring the pain in her frostbitten feet and the shiver in her spine at the strange feeling of being watched. When she gets to an intersection, she follows her instincts and turns right. 

She stops at the top of a staircase to catch her breath. Her heart skips with hope when she sees the huge door in front of the foot of the stairs, but then sinks at the sight of the huge wooden block locking it shut. 

Trini huffs out a breath and quickly climbs down the stairs. It's a struggle to lift, but she keeps trying with a grunt. 

"You shouldn't go outside," the familiar voice of a girl says.

Trini lets go of the lock and looks around but only sees an empty room and its marble floor and staircase. She clenches her fists, ignores the voice in her head repeatedly saying "ghost, ghost, ghost."

"And what?" Trini answers with a raised voice to the empty air. "Stay here in this... haunted mansion?!"

Trini almost thinks she heard a chuckle. "Zack does shoddy work cleaning the castle, but it's better than outside with the blizzard."

Trini turns her head to the huge musty window in the room and only sees white. 

She jumps when she hears the sound of something flapping again. A winged figure flies out from the top of the stairs and lands on the dusty chandelier. Its eyes glow golden in the dark room, its piercing gaze making Trini gulp. But then she takes a deep breath and notices.

"You were the one who brought me here?" Trini says, trying her best to hide the tremble in her voice. When it only stares back, she adds, "why? Are you going to eat me or something?"

The golden eyes narrow. "If I wanted to eat you, you'd be dead by now. Is this how people show gratitude nowadays?"

It's almost laughable, how Trini can shift from terrified to indignant. "I'd less think I'm about to be eaten if my 'savior' at least showed her face."

"Kim!"

They both turn their attention to the three knights who have now caught up to her. It reminds Trini that she's still in the presence of possibly three ghosts and a winged creature. With a sudden burst of strength, she removes the lock. Gusts of cold wind push the door open, but Trini only sees seconds of the blizzard before the creature swoops down and pushes it closed. The lock Trini had huge trouble removing was easily put back into place without even a grunt of effort. 

Trini stares wide-eyed at the creature before her. With its back facing her, Trini can see the long and thick tail poking out of a dress's ripped skirt and the huge wings sprouting out of a scaled back. Though the tail and wings remind Trini of the stories she has heard and read about dragons, the creatures body isn't reptilian shaped at all. It has the body of woman and is dressed like one, with choppy hair that doesn't reach the shoulders.

It - no, _she_ turns her single-horned head to Trini, glares at her with the same golden eyes, razor sharp teeth poking out of her mouth as she snarls.

She stalks up to Trini, casting a shadow over her as she's more than a head taller than the short woman. Her widely spread wings make her look bigger than she already is. Trini tries to step back as the creature gets closer but she stumbles and falls on her backside.

"I told you not to go outside," the creature growls out. 

"What... What kind of monster are you?" Trini surprises herself when she hears the terror in her own voice. She's shivering from something other than the cold.

The creature flinches the tiniest bit. She turns away from her then and her wings fold inwards.

"I won't eat you," the creature mutters. "None of us will hurt you. Just stay the night until the snow storm ends. Then you can leave."

Then she flies away, to some part of the castle that Trini will likely never know. She's just left sitting on the floor, trying to process what the hell she just saw. She hears metallic clinking over the loud beating of her heart, reminding Trini that the ghost knights are probably behind her.

She stands slowly and stares at them with wary eyes. "You... You won't hurt me?"

The one with the red scarf, Jason, shakes his head. Or... the helmet that serves as his head. "We promise. We mean you no harm. And we didn't mean to terrify you."

"We just wanted to help," Billy says. "We don't want to force you to stay, but it's dangerous outside. Just at least stay the night."

"We have plenty of rooms. We can -" Zack stops abruptly and Trini's brow raises. He turns his head to Jason. "You have my arm."

"What? No, I don't." But then "his" arm suddenly shoots up to punch his own head, sending it flying and rolling on the floor. "God dammit," he grumbles as he switches arms with Zack before retrieving the fallen helmet.

Despite the disturbing sight of them screwing their limbs back on, Trini couldn't help the brief snort of laughter that came out of her. Her hand shoots up to cover her mouth, but it's too late. They already heard it.

She can almost imagine their smiles if they had faces.

"See?" Billy says. "We won't harm you, miss."

After a moment of contemplation that's probably shorter than necessary considering the circumstances, she nods, opens her mouth to answer, but then another sneeze interrupts her.

Zack laughs. "Let's get you back to the fire."

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

"May we ask your name?"

Trini looks away from the fire, the blankets once again tightly wrapped around herself. While she's alone on the couch that could fit three people, Billy is sitting on the chair she hit them with, Zack is cross-legged on the floor a few feet in front of her, and Jason is standing in front of the fireplace. 

The orange of the fire is reflected on the metal of their armor. Now that she's aware, she can see how hollow they are through their visor.

"I still don't trust you," she finally says.

Judging by the sudden slump in Billy's shoulders, Trini can imagine that he's pouting. She almost feels guilty for being the cause of that.

"Sorry," she mutters.

"That's okay," Billy says. "We understand."

" _I_ don't," Zack says. "What's the harm in it? Or did you want me to address you as 'Crazy Girl' the whole time you're here?"

Trini narrows her eyes. "I resent that."

He leans toward her. "Would you prefer 'Pretty Girl' then?"

" _No._ "

"Awe... this helmet doesn't do me justice, if you must know. I used to be quite handsome."

Billy and Jason simultaneously guise their laughter with a cough.

Trini huffs. "I don't care what you actually look like. Men don't interest me."

Zack considers her for a moment. The next thing he says catches her off guard.

"Do women interest you, then?"

Trini sputters. The curious stare of the three knights are nothing less than suffocating.

"Is that a yes, then?" Zack says, mirth - and for some reason, joy - evident in his voice. 

"Zack, you don't think..." Billy says.

"It's not impossible!"

Jason sighs. "She might not even -"

"Oh, please. We all know her friendship with Lady Amanda was more than what they said it was."

"What the hell are you three talking about?" Trini asks when she grows impatient. 

"Nothing," they all reply.

"Fine. You don't trust me either."

"Apologies," Billy says, though he doesn't have to be sorry.

"It's fine. I told you."

"I think we've bothered the lady enough," Jason says. Billy and Zack stand beside him. "You've had a long night. It's time you got some rest."

"We have a lot of vacant rooms," Billy offers. "If you want we can take you to one."

Trini shakes her head. "I'll be fine here." Where she knows she's near enough the exit. She quietly adds, "but thank you. For every thing."

She didn't think they heard that, but Jason replies with a "you're welcome."

He leaves the door open, which she appreciates. Zack gracelessly yells "May you have sweet dreams, crazy girl!" from the hall.

She doesn't remember what she dreamt of, only that she cried herself to sleep, thinking that three ghosts and a dragon of all things treated her better than her mother did.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

Trini wakes up to the rays of sunshine sneaking into her lids through the cracks of the dusty curtains. She stretches for a moment. She takes a peek at the window and cracks a relieved smile when she sees that the storm has settled.

"Oh, you're awake!" Billy says as he enters the room. "I know we promised you can leave, but maybe you'd like to eat first? It's not much, since we didn't expect we'd have guests. We figured you might be hungry, and the villages are a long walk from here."

Trini's stomach chooses that moment to make a noise then. Trini flushes and Billy laughs pleasantly. 

"I don't really have a stomach any more, so that must have been yours."

Trini refuses to acknowledge that with an answer, but she does follow him. 

Judging by the distance they travelled to get to the kitchen, Trini can assume that the castle is massive and spacious. Though its previous grandeur may have been diminished, as it seems to have not been very well-kept. It's pretty bare, too, like it had been stripped of any thing worth any value. Trini didn't even spot a single painting or ornate vases and statues, things she imagined she would see in a castle whenever she read her books.

"This castle used to be beautiful," Billy says when he notices Trini looking around. "But ever since... well, none of us are very good at house keeping, it seems. Or is it castle-keeping, technically?"

"What _did_ happen?" Trini finally asks as curiosity gets the better of her.

Billy hangs his head low.

"We got cursed." And that's all he says. 

Trini didn't think she had the right to ask any more. She just realizes that creature she met last night may have been a normal girl before the curse. She was her savior, and she called her a monster.

°°°° °°°°° °°°° °°°° 

Jason and Zack are fumbling with the contents of a pot when they get there. Billy and Trini watch with shared amusement as the two boys argue.

"I swear, Zack, you put too much salt."

"No way. I used to sneak in here when Henry cooked all the time. He always put this much."

"Really now? Was he cooking for the princess or attempting to create a tiny ocean? You're making _salt water_ , Zackariah."

Trini clears her throat and the two knights jump at the sound.

"Crazy Girl!" Zack greets, waving the ladle in his hands. "Good morning!"

The kitchen is a mess. All kinds of kitchen utensils and ingredients are scattered every where, like they weren't quite sure which to use and just brought every thing out without much thought.

She can just imagine the three of them fumbling around in the kitchen, not quite knowing what to do. Judging by the traces of raw egg and egg shells on their armor, they must have thrown food at each other sometime before she and Billy got there. Trini smiles at the thought, suddeny reminded of Gabby and Robbie.

"My name's Trinidad," Trini finds herself saying. "But you can just call me 'Trini'. If you want," she adds shyly.

Jason offers her a hand to shake, which she takes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Trini." Billy does and says the same.

"A bit of shame," Zack says. "The moniker already grew on me."

Billy and Jason laugh when her only answer is a glare.

It's strange, how she can tell how happy they are, despite not having any faces. Trini wonders how long they've been alone in this empty castle, if Trini's the first person they've interacted with since the curse that made them the way they are. She can't help but think how sad that must be.

Judging by their voices, they sound like they can't be much older than Trini.

"Give me that." She motions for the ladle which Zack gives. 

She takes a sip of the soup then immediately coughs it out.

"Okay, maybe Jason was right," Zack sheepishly says.

The soup was a lost cause, and so were the other food they attempted to cook. They confessed that they don't have much culinary experience, and the fact that they can't taste or ingest food doesn't really help. So Trini just ended up cooking for herself.

It was strange to eat in front of them when they couldn't. Trini honestly felt a little bad. But they kept busy talking with Trini. Ghosts or not, they were fairly pleasant company. It's strange to think that she might miss them when she leaves.

"This... curse, that happened to you," Trini says quite awkwardly. "Is it permanent? Is there a way for you to change back?"

They exchange glances with one another and Trini isn't sure what the silent conversation is about. Jason is the one who answers.

"We're not sure," he says with a low voice and Trini already regrets asking.

"But there's always hope," Billy adds. "We're still alive. That still counts for something."

Zack claps Billy's back with a clang. "Well said, Billy boy."

Trini can only manage a sad smile. They gave her shelter from a storm and food to eat. She truly wishes she can do more for them.

"So, Trini, once you go back home, there's a favor we'd like to ask of you," Jason says.

Trini nods, doesn't mention that she isn't exactly planning on getting back home.

"We don't want people thinking that this castle is... occupied. This place is left alone because they think it's deserted. But if word gets out that there's a dragon hiding here... We don't want Kimberly to get hurt."

"Kimberly. She was the one who saved me, right?" Trini says. "Don't worry, I... may have been spooked last night, but I've calmed down now. I owe her my life. There may be times where I'll think this was all a dream, but I can keep a secret."

"It'll be harder to forget that this was real if you visit from time to time."

"Billy..." Jason says. "You can't ask that of her."

"Why not?" Zack says. "It's just an offer. You know, Crazy Girl, we don't usually accept guests, but we can make exceptions especially for you." He pauses. "Ah, damn. That doesn't work as well when I can't wink."

"It won't work on me, regardless if you could," she flatly says and they laugh when, if she had done that to other men, she would have at least been called rude. "Thank you, for the offer. I won't come back to the village I was from, but I'd like to see you guys again."

Billy and Zack cheer. Jason is silent, and Trini can't be sure if he's smiling or not.

"Where is Kimberly?" Trini asks. "Can I talk to her before I leave? I'd like to express my gratitude... and apologise for what I called her last night."

Billy and Zack immediately shoot up from their seats.

"Of course you can talk to Kim!" Billy gleefully says.

"We'll bring you to her!" Zack says as they both pull her from her seat.

"Guys, Kim's not in a good mood right now," Jason says, following after them.

Trini has to walk briskly to keep up with the too eager Zack and Billy. "If it's not a good time..."

"Nonsense!" Zack waves a hand dismissively. "Kim's always grumpy."

"I'm sure she won't mind too much," Billy says.

According to Billy, Kimberly's bed chamber is in the left wing of the castle. It was a good thing the they were in the kitchen, which is in the middle of the castle. They end up in front of the beautiful oak door of Kimberly's room. Trini anxiously shifts from where she's standing as Zack obnoxiously knocks on the door.

"Hey, Kimmyyy..."

There's a menacing growl from behind the door, but it remains shut. "Go away, Zack! I don't want to see anyone right now!"

"There's someone who wants to talk to you."

"It's Trini," Billy says. "You know, the girl you saved from the storm. Actually, her name's Trinidad, but she said we can call her 'Trini', if we wanted. Isn't that a pretty name? I don't think a lot of girls around here have a name like that. Come to think of it -"

"Billy," Jason interrupts and he stops his rambling with a quick apology.

"Fine," Kimberly grumbles after a few seconds of silence. "But I'm not opening the door."

Trini sighs and walks closer to the door. She stops before saying anything as she notices that Billy, Jason, and Zack are still there, watching.

"Um." She looks pleadingly at Jason and he gets the message.

"Right. We'll just wait over there."

He pulls Billy and Zack with him to the hallway, both boys protesting that they want to stay the whole time. Trini doubts that they're far enough to be out of earshot, but she decides it doesn't matter any more.

She presses her back against the door, just imagining Kimberly curled up in her bed with her wings and tail folded around herself. She doesn't know why the image makes her want to smile.

"I wanted to talk to you before I left," Trini says. "I'm sorry for what I called you last night. I was surprised and terrified, but you saved me. You just wanted to help." The back of her head hits the door. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"You weren't wrong."

Trini's surprised by how close Kimberly's voice was. She feels the sudden weight on the other side of the door. 

"I _am_ a monster," Kimberly says.

"But you weren't like that. The boys told me about the curse," Trini says. "They didn't tell me every thing, just that all of you were changed. What you look like isn't everything you are.

"I should have known better. My whole life, my mother has only looked at me for what she wanted me to be seen. Not for who I really was. I don't want to do the same thing to anyone else, especially to all of you who saved me and treated me so kindly. I'm sorry. And thank you for saving me."

Trini waits for a reply. Just when she thinks Kimberly already left, she speaks, voice still close to the door.

"Why were you in the forest?"

Trini blinks in surprise at the question. Her fingers fidget with the braids of her hair until she decides that she at least owes them a bit of honesty.

"I was running away. I haven't been to this place long, so I got lost in the forest."

"Were you running away from your family?"

"N-No, there was some drunk guy chasing me and -" she bites her lip. "But I guess I ran away from my family, too." She sighs.

"... you won't have a place to come back to."

"I've been travelling since I was seven. I'll manage." She peels her back off the door then and turns to face it. She feels a a little lighter now that she said everything she wanted to say. "I won't impose on you any more. I'll just go -"

She stops abruptly when she hears something click. The door slowly swings open, revealing Kimberly in all her scaled and winged glory.

Her wings are folded inwards and her golden eyes are downcast. She's struggling to even look at Trini. When she speaks, Trini coudn't believe what she hears.

"You can stay here, if you can't go back to your family."

"W-What?"

"There's more than enough space here," Kimberly continues. 

"I can't possibly -"

"Of course you can!"

Zack comes running back with Billy and Jason behind him. Trini was right. They were there the whole time. He wraps a metallic arm around Trini's shoulders, and she glares at him through his visor. She thinks she hears Kimberly growl, but Zack's being too loud so she can't be too sure.

"There's more than enough space for you here, Crazy Girl," Zack says. "And you already have the owner of this place's blessing!"

Trini turns her attention to Kimberly. "This castle is yours?"

Kimberly only crosses her arms and refuses to look at anyone.

"What? Did you think we're squatters?" Jason asks with amusement in his voice. 

"Kind of," Trini sheepishly says.

"Winter just started, Trini," Billy says. "At the very least, it's better that you stay here until spring. Camping out in the snow isn't advisable. It's been years since I last felt the cold, but I still know it's unpleasant."

"So?" Kimberly asks. "Are you staying?"

Trini can't believe what's happening. Being offered a home is somehow less believable for her than curses and dragons. 

What's even more surprising is that she'd rather accept that this is her life now, instead of a Cinderella-like story. 

A genuine smile stretches Trini's lips. "Yes. Thank you so much."

She thinks she sees Kimberly's mouth twitch, but the other girl is already turning her back to them. "Great. Make yourself comfortable then, I guess."

She closes the door and leaves Trini with three excitable knights, already talking about arrangements for her room in her new home.


	4. Tell Me, Who's the Loneliest of All?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini adjusts to living in the castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! sorry, i'm still reeling from those new eps from steven universe haha
> 
> buuut my ass is back for trimberly! this thing is starting to get a lot longer than i planned hahaha 
> 
> this chapter's title is from the song "Mirror, Mirror" from the show RWBY

"Just keep doing that. I'll go change the water."

Zack stops mopping, the exact opposite of what Trini told him to do. "What? No, let me."

Trini rolls her eyes. "Don't treat me like a frail lady, _Zackariah_. I'm strong enough to lift a _pail_."

The helmet that serves as Zack's head tilts to the side. "It's pretty heavy."

It took awhile, but Trini had finally gotten used to telling when Zack is teasing or not. It was a bit confusing when neither he nor Jason and Billy had faces to express themselves, but years of travelling from village to village had taught Trini to adjust and adapt to different kinds of people, cursed or not. 

That head tilt and lilt in Zack's voice? Definitely teasing. None of the three boys have been condescending toward her anyway.

"I can carry it," Trini says firmly. "If I let you handle too much water you might rust."

Zack laughs as he resumes mopping. "Be careful on your way then, m'lady."

"Sure, sure."

Trini leaves Zack at that end of the corridor, the boy happily humming an unfamiliar tune. The walk from the right wing's corridor to the nearest well just outside the castle is quite a distance, considering the castle's size. Just mopping the floor takes up quite some time. It would have been easier with more people involved, but Jason and Billy are cleaning the castle's numerous and huge windows. Considering they can't feel pain if they fall, they all agreed it was best they do it.

Trini observes the progress they've made on her way, mentally reprimanding the boys for not keeping the castle clean for as long as they've lived here. It's already been a week, but they're only almost finished with the right wing. They told her she didn't have to, but what else is there to do in a bare castle? It's the least she can do after they gave her shelter. Anyway, she'll only end up thinking about her family if she were left to her own devices.

Robbie and Gabbie would have loved seeing an actual castle.

She pours the murky water on the snow once she gets outside and makes her way to the well. The pail reaches the bottom with a splash and Trini adjusts the folds of her sleeves before grabbing the rope so she can pull it back up. 

She hears the distinct flapping of wings before she hears a voice say, "do you need help with that?"

Trini lets go of the rope in surprise and the pail falls with a splash. " _Ay, mierda_..."

"Sorry," Kimberly hastily says. "I should just..." she trails off and her wings are already unfolding.

"No, wait!" 

Kimberly stills, and turns to face Trini again. It's the first time Trini sees her under proper lighting. She can now clearly see her pink scales, a small dark mark above the left corner of her mouth. Is it possible to have a mole when your skin is covered in scales?

Her golden eyes, sharp claws and teeth still leave Trini feeling apprehensive. She squashes that fear down, keeps in mind Jason and the other boys' reassurances that Kimberly isn't a dangerous person. Zack has mentioned that she may be temperamental at times, but Trini understands considering what some crazy witch has done to her. 

"I mean, you're not exactly a poise lady yourself," Zack had said three days ago before Billy, Jason, and Trini all threw the rags they were using at him.

Trini fidgets from where she's standing, unsure of what exactly she's supposed to say to a cursed princess. Kimberly, unfortunately, must have mistaken her nervousness as fear.

"It's okay, I can go," Kimberly says. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

"No, no," Trini says, her hand almost reaching for Kimberly's arm. She stops herself just in time and clutches her own arm instead. "I'm glad I got to see you. I've never seen you go out of your room."

Kimberly blinks her golden eyes at her. "I didn't want to scare you."

"I'm not," she says indignantly. Kimberly shoots her a doubtful look and she sighs. "I just need to get used to... well, everything. You don't need to avoid me."

Kimberly only nods, obviously not convinced.

" So, um..." Trini trails off. She isn't exactly used to talking to people, and keeping a steady conversation is a grueling crawl for her. She was lucky the boys were talkative enough, but Kimberly seems like she wants to go back to her room. She can't let Kimberly leave when she's finally outside after a week of locking herself in her room. "It's great to see you outside of your chamber."

Kimberly's eyes are looking at everywhere but Trini. "I wasn't planning to come out, but Zack said that you can't carry the pail by yourself."

Trini takes a deep breath in. Oh, she's so tempted to stuff a squirrel inside him.

"I am perfectly capable of carrying a pail," she says as pleasantly as she can manage through gritted teeth. "But thank you for the offer. We're going to take a break and have lunch in a little while. Well, _I_ will be having lunch as the boys accompany me. Care to join us?" 

Trini swears she sees Kimberly's eyes sparkle with excitement, but it immediately disappears with a few blinks. "No, thank you. I... just ate. Well then." Her wings spread wide, prepared to take flight. "Since you don't need me for anything..."

"Oh, then-" Trini starts but Kimberly is already flying away, leaving her to say, "maybe next time," to the blue sky.

When Trini comes back, it's with an uncharacteristically quiet Zack. Trini can _feel_ his expectant gaze on her, so she crankily tells him to spit out what he wants to say.

"Nothing, nothing. Just wondering if a certain winged lady offered to help you or anything."

"I didn't need her help," she grumbles as she scrubs the wall clean. She sighs and quietly says, "but I wouldn't have minded if she stayed."

Trini can hear the smile on Zack's voice when he speaks, "Really now? You really don't mind having Kim accompany you? You're not scared?"

"I'm not scared. Well... maybe a little apprehensive, but I don't want her to coop herself up in one area of the castle just so I can't see her. She's the owner of this castle! I feel bad for inconveniencing her."

"No need to feel bad about the princess' behavior," Zack says. "She's been avoiding us since the curse." 

There's a moment of silence where Zack stalls by plunging the mop in the bucket. 

"I think she blames herself for what happened," he says somberly, but then he picks up the tone of his voice. "Which is ridiculous, really. The witch is to blame, if anything."

Zack pauses to admire his work. Kneels down and stares the spotless marble floor. "Will you look at that?" He motions for Trini to come closer. She sighs but does as he wishes and crouches beside him. "Impressive job right? Clean enough to reflect your pearly whites if you would just smile."

Trini stares at the reflection, where her face is shown beside Zack's metal visor. Zack is undoubtedly smiling beside her, but it's hard to imagine when she has no idea what Zack even looks like. All she sees is an empty helmet.

But she stretches her mouth for a small smile. "Great. Let's see you do it to the rest of the castle floor."

Zack groans about how that would take forever but goes back to work anyway. As they clean, he goes on jabbering about the time he hid Jason's visor and the other boy didn't notice it was missing until Billy pointed it out.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

Trini takes a sip from the ladle. She prepares her tongue to be attacked by too much salt once more, but she releases a surprised hum.

"So?" Billy asks expectantly from beside her. "Is it good?"

Trini smiles. "It's great."

"Honestly? I need to know exactly because it's kind of hard to know you have the right measurements when you don't have a tongue to taste."

Trini feels a pang of guilt. So she sighs and says, "it's not amazing, but definitely a lot better than that concoction Zack made."

Billy nods as he writes on a leather bound notebook. "I'll keep the measurements in mind then. Adjustments will be needed. My mother's recipe is supposed to be amazing."

"You'll get there," Trini says. "I'm sorry you can't taste it yourself. Learning to cook would have been much easier."

Billy's helmet turns to her. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault Rita made us this way."

"Right. Sorry."

The helmet tilts. "You apologised again."

Trini laughs. "I'll just... finish eating."

She brings her bowl and takes a seat at the end of the table they use while Billy scribbles on his notes. It was awkward at first - eating in the presence of the boys. She's gotten used to it by now, but the pang of guilt never disappeared. Her eyes end up in the direction of the castle's left wing. The twinge of loneliness hasn't disappeared either. 

"I asked Kimberly to eat with us - ah, well, me," Trini finds herself saying. 

"Really?" Billy says and the strange enthusiasm in his voice makes Trini's brow raise. 

"Yeah. I thought she could use some company. But she said she already ate. How does she even eat? None of you knew how to cook until I helped you, and I don't think Kimberly has set foot in the kitchen."

"Kimberly doesn't really need to eat normally," Billy says. When Trini stares inquisitively, he elaborates, "when Rita changed Kimberly's form, her behavior changed a bit, too. A little more... beast-like."

"... beast-like," Trini flatly repeats.

"She eats raw meat. And hunts her food. Kim gets more antsy and grumpy when she doesn't."

"So... when she found me in the forest, she was hunting for food."

"Most likely, yes. But she found you. And you're not food. A lot better than food, because you're company."

Trini smiles around her spoon. "You're great company, too. So, if the princess doesn't need cooked food, why is there still a stock in here?"

Billy shrugs. "The day may come when Kimberly would want to. I like being prepared. I do wish it would come soon. Maybe she'll get to taste my cooking someday. It'll pale in comparison to my mother's, and Kimberly loved my mother's cooking, but I hope she'd like it."

Trini can only smile back at the hope in Billy's voice. It seems she'll have to try again.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Trini's eyes watch the fire crackling in the fire place. Orange, red, and yellow reflect against rich brown. 

She's curled up in the study on the same couch she first slept in, too tired to continue distracting herself with cleaning. None of the boys get physically tired any more, so they've continued cleaning as she sits watching the fire.

Trini didn't care about making the castle spotless as soon as possible. If Zack hadn't been so firm in making her rest, she would have continued scrubbing floors until her hands bled. She just didn't want to be left alone with her thoughts. 

"Hey."

She tears her eyes away from the fire and lands her gaze on Jason. 

"Hey," she echoes.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Shouldn't you be cleaning?"

"We stopped cleaning since you left."

Trini gives him a look.

"What? We might not get physically tired but cleaning for a whole week non-stop can be tiresome for us."

"Fine." She doesn't care too much about it anyway. "Did you just come here to check on me?"

Jason crosses his arms as he seems to mull overwhat he wants to say. "You said you knew my sister."

Trini sits a little straighter. 

The three boys told her a few days ago the full story of what happened to them that night. When Trini heard it, she immediately recalled the story her brothers told her.

"Yeah. My brothers, Robbie and Gabby, often play with her."

Jason approaches and motions for the vacant space beside her. "May I?"

She nods and lets him sit beside her. "I thought you didn't want to talk about those you left behind."

"I didn't. We've been like this for, what? Six years? Seven? It's been such a long time. It's been so long since I last slept. Or ate or cried or felt... anything. I feel numb... but at the same time I feel so much pain when I think about what I've lost. What we've all lost."

Tears are stinging Trini's eyes at his words. She can't imagine living that way. Stubborn as she may be to actually admit it, but she has come to care for them. The thought of having such young, kind people live this way for a witch's petty whims is so ridiculously tragic. 

The sound of Trini's sniffing catches Jason's attention. "Are you crying?"

"No," she lies, wipes traitorous tears away. "It's just cold. I hate winter."

"I'm not very good with dealing with women crying, but I won't stop you. My mother said that people should let themselves cry when they should."

"I won't. Not when you're not even allowed to."

Silence, then, "I'm smiling. Just so you know."

She laughs humorlessly. "Okay?"

"I appreciate it, but you don't have to hold back. I didn't mean to say that you should stop doing what we can't as a show of sympathy. Or empathy."

She playfully raps her knuckles on his breastplate. "What's your point then?"

"I was wrong for thinking that way. It is painful, but I want those reminders of what I've lost. I don't want the day to come where I forget I was human, even if I no longer feel like one. So don't hold back. Don't apologize and don't feel guilty. Cry away."

Trini's eyes close but the flood gates open. Sobs wrack her body for the friends she barely knows, whose faces she hasn't even yet seen. She may never even see their faces. The thought brings more onslaught of tears. 

Jason awkwardly wraps an arm around her and she cries on his battered red scarf. His hands fumble before he awkwardly pats her back. "There, there," he says and it makes her laugh through her sobs.

"You _are_ bad with this," she says.

"And you're really not holding back," he retorts. "I might rust with this amount of tears."

"I'm crying for you. All three of you. It's gonna be a lot. I never met your father, but I've played with Pearl. 'Want to talk about her?"

There's the sound of the helmet moving up and down as Jason nods. "She was just three the last time I saw her. This-" he chuckles-"tiny thing that kept clinging to my leg so that I can't leave for my knight training. She must be so much bigger now."

"She's just past my shoulders."

He laughs loudly. "I expected her to be as tall as you by now, honestly." He laughs louder when Trini punches his breastplate. "That must have hurt."

"It didn't," she says even as her knuckles sting with pain.

"Is she beautiful?" he asks softly.

"Very. Huge blue eyes and long golden hair that reaches her waist. I imagine you share those features with her?"

"Yes, but my hair's much shorter."

She snorts. "Of course it is."

She closes her eyes and imagines a young man with bright blue eyes and blonde hair. She thinks he might be the kind of man her mother would love for her to marry. A valiant knight, a kind boy, and the perfect husband.

She just imagines the face of an good friend. 

"You can talk about your family, too," Jason says. "If you want. You don't need to hold back. Or distract yourself with cleaning."

Trini nods. "Not now. But maybe next time."

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Trini finds herself staring at the door of Kimberly's chamber the next day. She clenches her fist as she musters up enough courage to knock. But when her fist connects with the wood, the door slowly creeks open. At first she thought Kimberly opened it, but there's no one behind the door. She must have left it unlocked.

"Uh, hello?" she says as she warily steps inside. "Princess Kimberly?"

Trini's face scrunches when her eyes adjust to the dimly lit room and sees the state it's in. There are clothes, paper, and all sorts of things every where. The bed is a mess of sheets that looks more like a nest. It's surprising that the bedposts are still intact considering the numerous and deep scratch marks covering them.

"'Guess we should've started cleaning here," Trini grumbles.

Curtains cover the windows and block out the sun's light. The only source of illumination in the room is a glowing rose tucked away in a corner beside the bed.

Trini approaches it with wonder. The rose seems to be floating, covered by a glass case that is supported by a small circular table. It only has a few pink petals left, with the ones that have already wilted away pitifully scattered below the rose no longer aglow.

Her hand was about to touch the glass when a pair of brown eyes catch her attention. At first she thought there was someone else in the room before she realises that it was a painting.

It was a beautiful painting of three people, each with a crown of varying sizes, the biggest one belonging to the man who stands to the right, most probably the late king. To the left is a gorgeous woman who looks nothing like the people in this land with her round brown eyes and tan skin, only slightly darker than Trini's.

Trini can't see the face of the person in the middle. The lower part of the painting where the person's face aligns has been torn so that the lower half of the person's face is unseen from where the torn piece or the painting is folded downwards. But based on the long hair and elegant dress, the person is undoubtedly a girl - the princess. Trini can still see Kimberly's eyes, a rich brown similar to the queen's. 

Trini's hand reaches for the flap, curious to see the face of at least one of the people of saved her life, so that she may no longer need to imagine. She needs only connect the torn parts and -

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Trini jumps back at the monstrous roar. Strong hands push her back against the wall. Golden eyes glare at her, sharp teeth shown through Kimberly's snarl as she growls. The hands that her on Trini's shoulder clench. Kimberly nails dig in and the pain makes Trini whimper. Kimberly's pupils change from slit and back to circular and her expression turns alarmed. She quickly lets go of Trini, but her face remains upset.

"Why are you here?" Kimberly asks more calmly this time, but there's still a growl deep in her throat.

Trini takes a moment to catch her breath and let her heart calm down. Her right hand holds her left shoulder where the claws dug deeper and she winces at the pain. Worry flashes Kimberly's scaled face. 

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to join us for lunch this time. Then I noticed the door was unlocked..."

"So you just welcomed yourself in?!"

Trini feels guilty for that, but the tone of her voice reminds her of her mother's always accusing voice. "Yes, I did! I wanted to make sure you were here. Did you really have to hurt me?!"

Kimberly flinches at that. She takes one glance at Trini's shoulder before quickly looking away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"... I'm sorry, too," Trini admits. "I won't let myself in without your permission again." 

There's a moment where Kimberly steps closer, but she seems to realize that that's a mistake before quickly backing away.

"You should have Zack look at that," Kimberly says. "He's good with treating wounds."

"You're not going to come eat with us?"

"... I already ate."

That's when Trini notices the bit of blood on Kimberly's chin and blouse. She nods and leaves, closing the door behind her.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

"There. All clean and bandaged up, Crazy Girl."

Trini growls at the moniker. "I really despise that."

"If you cease to do crazy things, then I'll stop calling you 'Crazy Girl', Crazy Girl."

"It's better to give up," Billy says. "Zack is amazingly stubborn."

"You mean _stupidly_ stubborn," Jason says.

"Not as much as Kim, though," Zack adds to defend himself.

"Nah," Jason's helmet moves side to side. "She's _frustratingly_ stubborn. There's a difference."

"Where?" Billy asks, bewildered.

Trini rolls her eyes and lets the boys chatter amongst themselves as she adjusts her blouse and coat. Billy and Jason had politely looked away and Zack thankfully didn't make any crude jokes as he treated her wound. She rolls her left shoulder once, the pain more than bearable but still very much present. 

They talk as Trini eats, and when she's finished, she decides to ask a question that's been gnawing at her since the day she decided to stay in this castle.

"Can I ask you guys a question?"

The three of them turn their attention to her. Zack is the one who answers.

"Sure thing. What is it?"

"How come you speak so casually to the princess?"

"Oh, you mean Kim?" Billy says. "That's because we're friends."

"But she's the _princess_."

Billy hums. "She doesn't really want to be called that any more."

"Kimmy will always be our princess, cursed or not," Zack says light-heartedly. "But she'll also always be our friend."

"No offence but, I just can't imagine how the three of you became friends with the princess. Didn't she hang out with children of dukes or other important people?"

Trini is suddenly reminded of Tommy Oliver. She suppresses a grimace.

"Oh, yeah. We never told you how we met her," Zack says. He pats Jason's back. "You tell her, boss."

"Why me?" Jason grumbles.

"Because it's funnier that way," Zack says.

"Oh, because Jason and Kim didn't get along?" Billy says.

Trini's eye brows raise at that, now even more intrigued.

Zack snickers and elbows Jason to egg him on. Jason sighs.

"Fine," Jason concedes. "We were just young squires when we met Kim. Around twelve, I think?"

"I was eleven and a half," Billy interrupts.

Jason chuckles. "Right. During that time, we didn't really know what 'Princess Kimberly' looked like. So when this pretty little girl who stumbled upon us while we were training with our swords, we thought she was just one of the worker's child, like us."

"She was _really_ pretty," Zack makes sure to tell Trini as he moves closer to her in his seat. "Got prettier as we aged, too."

"Yeah," Billy adds a little too enthusiastically. "She's most probably the prettiest girl in this land."

Trini quirks a brow at the two of them. "Okay?"

"Guys," Jason says pointedly. Zack motions for him to continue. "Anyway, she marched up to us, told us her name was 'Anne', and asked us if she could join us."

Trini laughs at the image of twelve-year-old Kimberly doing that. She's honestly impressed. Girls don't usually take interest in fighting. She likes to think she would have done the same if she saw them, too.

"So, I'm guessing you didn't take her seriously," Trini says.

"Her request made Zack laugh while we were sparring," Billy says. "I accidentally stabbed his rear then."

Zack shifts from where he's seated and Trini snorts.

"I'm ashamed to admit it, but yes, we didn't take her seriously," Jason says. "And I didn't want this girl to get hurt by the sword. But, well, Kim was really stubborn."

Trini smirked. "Frustratingly stubborn?"

"She bothered us almost every day," Zack says with amusement. "Until Jason got sick of it. So Billy came up with a bet."

Billy nods. "'Anne' wanted to prove herself, but Jason didn't like the possibility of hurting her when we sparred. So I suggested arrow-shooting. If she shot better than Jason, then she can participate in sword training with us."

Trini grins widely at Jason. "Did you lose?"

Jason's head hangs low. "I lost," he says defeatedly. "It turns out she was really good with archery."

"So you let her join you?"

Jason's gauntlet-slash-hand rubs the back of his helmet. "... No, I didn't."

Trini gasps in mocking disappointment. "You sore loser!"

"I was twelve!" Jason says indignantly. "I was young and arrogant."

"Sure, sure. So what did twelve-year-old Jason do?"

"I told her that she still can't join us if she doesn't have her own sword or protective gear."

Zack _giggles_. "You should've seen her face. Never seen someone look so... huffy."

"Then the next day, there was a banquet," Jason continues. " I got to come with because my father was the head of the royal guards." He sighs. "I met Princess Kimberly for what I thought was the first time."

Trini laughs along with Zack. 

"Yeah, yeah, laugh away." He points a finger at Zack then Billy. "You were surprised when I told you guys, too. I didn't believe it at first. The fancy dress and crown was so much different from the simple clothes she wore whenever she approached us. But I was sure 'Anne' was actually Princess Kimberly when I saw the mole near her mouth."

"I imagine you were a lot nicer to her the next time she sneaked out to see you," Trini says.

Billy nods. "We told her we discovered who she was and apologized." 

"But she just waved that off," Jason says. Trini can hear the nostalgia in his voice. "She just pulled out this sword that she probably stole from the armory and told us to keep our promise. So I did."

"She'd been sneaking out to hang out with us since then," Zack says. 

"We found it odd at first," Billy said. "You were right, she could have chosen to play with the other nobles, but she chose us. I guess she didn't fancy their company."

"Not that she had much company," Zack crosses his arms. "The king and queen were always busy. Oh, man, I sure miss those days."

"I just miss Kim," Billy says.

Trini smiles at him. Jason and Zack are silent, but she can imagine they would be wearing the same sad smile.

If only Kimberly could see past the guilt she's feeling. She's holding herself back when all they want is her company.

She'll have to try again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was supposed to have more trimberly but i noticed that it was getting longer, so i cut it there so i could update sooner.
> 
> next chapter will have trimberly fluff!


	5. Tell Me, Can A Heart Be Turned to Stone?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trini's resilience in getting Kimberly to get out of her room finally gets rewarded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this fic is starting to turn into a monstrously long one. i thought this'll be just a 10k word fic haha

Trini's knuckles tentatively knock on the door but there's no answer. She presses her ear against the it and strains to listen for any signs that Kimberly might still be inside her room. When she finally does, she knocks again.

Kimberly groans faintly from the other side. "It isn't locked. Just come in."

Trini blinks. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it isn't locked," Kimberly drawls

It takes a moment for Trini to realise that Kimberly actually answered sarcastically. She rolls her eyes, but a small smile creeps up her lips. 

The room somehow looks messier than the last time Trini saw it. And that was just yesterday. She isn't sure if she's impressed or exasperated of the disastrous state. It seems the only thing Kimberly took care of in her room is the flower kept in its glass container. At first Trini thought the room was empty, but she soon realizes that the huge _breathing_ lump of sheets on the bed is actually Kimberly buried underneath her nest of blankets. Trini is only even more certain that Kimberly's there because of her scaled tail poking out of the sheets.

"Hey," Trini starts awkwardly.

"I already ate," Kimberly's muffled voice says.

"Right. But I didn't come here for that. We're taking a break from cleaning for the day. The boys are having a snowball fight in the courtyard. Do you want to join?"

"What are we, twelve? Why would I want to join?"

Trini looks down and bites back a laugh. The tail poking out of the blankets started wagging from side to side when she mentioned a snowball fight. 

"Maybe because you want to?"

Kimberly scoffs. "No, I don't."

"Then why is your tail wagging like an excited dog's?"

The movement abruptly stops and the tail quickly curls inwards to hide beneath the covers.

"T-that doesn't mean anything! That thing has a mind of it's own."

Trini makes a humming noise, pretending to be convinced. "'Guess I'll have to tell Zack that you're not up for the challenge."

There's movement in the lump of blanket until Kimberly's horned head pokes out. Her golden eyes narrow at Trini while her person from the nose below remains covered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Trini shrugs. "Jason told me that you're an amazing arrow shooter. But Zack said that you've been out of practice for so long that you probably can't even throw a snowball at him."

Kimberly sits up with the blankets no longer covering her in her frustration. Her mouth is open in a guffaw, her pointed ears folding downwards. The sight makes Trini think of an offended cat.

Zack never really said that. In fact, none of the boys know that Trini is in Kimberly's room. Trini told them to go ahead to the courtyard while she goes to get her coat for extra layers against the cold. That was true, but she didn't tell them that she planned to take a detour.

The story of how the boys met the princess gave Trini an idea for how she can finally pull Kimberly out of the shadows. According to Billy, Kimberly is impulsive and incredibly competitive, traits that have led them to end up in ridiculous and-slash-or dangerous circumstances when mixed with Zack's devil-may-care attitude and Jason's love for pranking during their childhood. Trini can only imagine how difficult it was for Billy to wrangle up his troublesome friends.

Trini only needs to present a challenge for Kimberly, the kind of girl who would do what it takes to prove people wrong. She feels a little guilty for using Zack as bait, but only a little. She at least trusts that, if Kimberly really is capable of breathing fire, wouldn't melt him a dear friend.

"The nerve!" Kimberly glares at her curtain-covered window, most probably at the direction she believes Zack to be in. "That boy can't even shoot an arrow to save his life!"

"Why don't you show him how wrong he is, then?"

Kimberly's ears perk upwards before her head quickly turns toward her. "I... I shouldn't," she stutters out as she tries - and fails - to hide the fact that she would love to do so. "I don't want to disturb them."

Trini heaves a deep sigh. She's done with subtlety. It's not working. It's time for a more forward approach.

"Seriously. Why are you still holding back?"

Kimberly tenses as the statement catches her off guard. "Excuse me?"

"Jason, Zack, and Billy won't mind. Those boys miss you, _terribly_."

"Is... Is that why you keep on making me come out of my chambers?"

Trini feels a surge of bravery come over her as she steps closer and sits on the edge of Kimberly's bed. She looks her in the eye, no longer minding her form that barely resembles a human.

"Look. I know this isn't my business... but you should hear how those three talk about you. They've adored you since you were kids. They're not going to stop now."

Kimberly shakes her and curls into herself. Despite being the more threatening creature, she manages to seem more vulnerable. She may try to hide that vulnerability behind denial and feigned apathy, but Trini can see through her guise. "No, they don't. Look at what we've all become because of me. I don't care any more. I'm more than happy to lock myself up for all eternity. No one would want to see a face like this..." Kimberly drapes the blanket around herself and hides once again. "Now go away."

Trini huffs, frustrated. "Weren't you listening to me? _They_ want to see you!"

"No, they _don't_ ," Kimberly's muffled voice says. "I don't either."

"Yes, you do. You just fear the _possibility_ that they don't. You're so afraid to see them leave you, so you went ahead and left them yourself so you don't have to!"

Trini pauses, surprised at the words that came out of her mouth. She got carried away, and now she isn't sure what - or who - she's talking about any more. 

"Sorry," she says, voice back to a lower volume. "Just -" she sighs -" stop being a stubborn princess and see your friends." She waits for the lump of blanket to reply. Ten seconds, half a minute passes, but she's only met with silence. She stands, looks back only once before closing the door. "We'll be in the courtyard if you change your mind." 

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

When Trini arrives, Billy is alone, in the middle of building a snowman. She looks around, but there are no signs of Jason or Zack except for the foot prints they left behind on the snow.

"Where are the other two?" Trini asks just as Billy finishes sticking pebbles on its face for a smiling mouth.

"Zack got bored waiting for you, so he stole Jason's helmet," he says, examining a branch for the snowman's arm. "Jason's chasing him around the garden to get it back. Hey, Trini, does this look like an arm to you?"

Trini only nodded her head as Billy explained the other two boys' whereabouts. Trini has long realized that Zack stealing at least one piece of Jason's armor just for the fun of annoying him is a common occurrence. She gives the branch Billy's holding out one scrutinizing gaze.

"It _could_ pass for arm, I guess. If you squint a little."

"I can't squint though," Billy says matter-of-factly before disregarding it. "It's no good then. Which one of these?"

He holds out more thin branches for Trini to inspect. The snowman already had complete arms when Zack came stumbling upon them, a headless Jason chasing his tail.

"Oh hey!" 

Zack made the terrible decision of stopping in front of them. Jason took that opportunity to literally jump on his back, both boys landing on the snow. Jason plucks his helmet from a still collapsed Zack, whose amused laughter turn into panicked pleas when Jason presses on his body with his feet, making him sink even more into the snow.

"Ahhh! Wait, wait! I'm so sorry! Won't do it again, I swear!"

"You're a damn liar," Jason says but Trini can _hear_ him smiling.

"But you're gonna let me go anyway because you're awesome, right?" Zack cheekily says. Jason does relent, but kicks him a last time to the side for good measure. "Hey, watch it! I'll get more dents!"

"Then stop doing shit like that, bastard," Jason huffs as puts his helmet back on.

Zack laughs at that as he digs himself out of the snow before addressing Trini. "You sure took your time, Crazy Girl."

Trini scowls. "Are you ever going to address me by my actual name?"

"Sure. _Didi_."

She makes a face. "Where did you even -?"

"Is that Kim?"

Billy's surprised but delighted voice catches their attention. He points up at the sky where Kimberly is flying towards them. Trini feels a huge grin split her face as Kimberly's small form becomes bigger the closer she gets. She finds herself approaching her, stopping just in front of where Kimberly lands in front of the snow. 

"Hey." Trini tries to look smug. She really does. But she probably looks more relieved than anything. "Have you decided you wanted to play?"

Kimberly scrunches her nose, but there's a hint of a smile somewhere there. "I had nothing else to do anyway."

She smiles even wider. Whatever response she had prepared on her tongue is interrupted by Zack's arm wrapping itself around her shoulder. 

"Do my magical eyes deceive me? Is Kimberly actually outside her chamber? Were you, by any chance, hoping to catch a rabbit in the courtyard for lunch?"

Kimberly crosses her arms. "Yeah. But I saw you guys so I wanted to see what you were up to."

Kimberly isn't looking at anyone, especially not at Trini, who is definitely aware of her blatant lie.

"You came to see us?" Zack teases. "Billy, please tell me I'm not dreaming."

"You can't sleep any more, so no, Zack, you're not dreaming." Billy starts jumping in place, his excitement barely contained. "This _is_ a dream come true, though. We were gonna have a snowball fight, Kim. Do you want to join us? It's gonna be fun. Like old times."

Kimberly smiles softly at Billy, an expression that Trini sees for the first time on her face. "Sure thing, Billy." But then her eyes flicker to the other two boys uncertainly. "If it's all right with you guys."

"It's more than okay," Jason says and she smiles gratefully. "It'll be like we're twelve again."

"Great!" Zack exclaims. "We've got odd numbers now, but why don't we make it a boys versus girls game? Crazy Girl and Kimmy will team up."

The arm he has wrapped around Trini leaves her just so he can push him toward Kimberly. The action was unexpected, making her literally fall into Kimberly's arms. She stares up wide-eyed at Kimberly, who has the same flustered surprise in her face. They flinch away from each other to glare at Zack. He only sheepishly chuckles.

"Five minutes to build the fort and ammo!" he says before running off to the other side of the yard, dragging Billy with him.

"I'm gonna go build a wall or something," Kimberly awkwardly says before walking away.

"Oh, okay." Trini carefully watches her, taking note of the fact that Kimberly is still feeling a little bashful and self-conscious. But then she sees a small smile on Kimberly's face, her tail moving happily as her clawed hands pat at the wall she's building. Trini finds herself smiling, too.

She's pulled out of her reverie when someone suddenly pats her on the back. She catches Jason's voice saying "Thank you" before he jogs toward Zack and Billy. She lets the sense of accomplishment wash over her and runs to her and Kimberly's "post" with a skip in her feet that hopefully no one notices. 

°°°° °°°° °°° °°°° 

Kimberly was right. Zack has terrible aim. By the fifteenth snowball that neither Kimberly nor Trini even had to dodge to avoid, Jason demoted him to ammo duty. 

"Ah! What the-?!" Jason exclaims as he feels for his helmet that Kimberly knocked off with a snowball. He has become headless for the second time today. He points a finger accusingly at his friend. "Not cool, Hart!"

"It was a fair shot, Jason," Kimberly smugly says. "No need to lose your head over it."

Trini groans. 

"Hah! Good one!" Zack says with his thumb sticking up. That earns him a snowball to the chest from Trini.

"No, it wasn't." She can't manage a head shot like Kimberly, but the force and surprise of the impact was enough to knock Zack onto the pile of snow ammo he was making.

An offended gasp escapes Kimberly. Despite the scales, she looks very much like the huffy princess she is. "What kind of lady can't appreciate a good joke?"

Trini lets out a short laugh. "I'm no lady, princess, but I don't need to be one to differentiate a lame pun from a witty joke."

Whatever it was Kimberly planned to say in defence of her sense of humor gets cut off when each of their faces get hit by snow. Trini shivers and pushes the cold snow out of her face, just in time to see steam come off Kimberly's face as she makes the snow melt away using only the heat from her body. 

They turn their heads in search of their assailant and find Billy a few feet away from them, peeking from behind a tree. His arm is already rearing back for another throw.

A mischievous grin makes its way on Kimberly's face, but her fangs make her look like her eyes are locked on prey. "Oh, big mistake." Her wings spread widely before she takes off in pursuit of Billy.

Trini hears Billy mutter a quiet "Oops" before running for his life. When Kimberly leaves, Trini squeaks in surprise when she's suddenly hit with snow square on her back. Jason and Zack have left their post and ran to attack Trini when she was left alone. She runs away from them, occasionally stopping to scoop some snow and throw back at them. 

"Totally unfair!" she says but she can't for the life of her stop laughing. "You're ganging up on me!"

"No mercy!" Zack screams like a battle cry, although most of the balls he throws are easily dodged by Trini.

"Give up!" Jason says, still headless, his red scarf now only draped around his shoulders.

Trini laughs into the cold wind. "Never!"

They're close to catching up to her, but then she sees Kimberly flying back to her. Her arms are outstretched as she shouts, "grab on!" 

Trini nods once before letting herself get snatched by Kimberly's arms. Her own arms lock around Kimberly's neck and the princess supports her with each of her scaled arms under her back and thighs. Trini screws her eyes shut, the cold wind hitting her face as Kimberly takes them higher in the sky. She finally opens them when Kimberly slows to just hovering in the air.

She feels a mixture fear and thrill when she looks down. The sheet of snow below is pure white, tainted only by two forms that are undoubtedly Jason and Zack.

"That's cheating!" they hear Zack yell.

"So is outnumbering your opponent!" Trini shouts back.

Zack attempts to lob a snowball up at them, but Kimberly is flying too high. Gravity drags it back downwards, landing on Zack's head. Jason collapses on the snow, laughing.

"Where's Billy?" Trini asks Kimberly. Even from their vantage point, he's no where to be seen.

"Lost him in the woods," Kimberly answers. "He's always been the best at hide and seek," she says fondly.

Trini smiles at the soft look on Kimberly's face, but then a cold breeze makes Trini shiver. Being the only "normal" human among them, she's the only one who has felt the biting cold since they've started chucking snowballs at each other. Being able to fly is amazing and all, but her teeth are starting to chatter due to the cold.

Kimberly must have noticed she'd started shivering as she says, "I'm sorry, you must be freezing. Hold on."

"What -" she starts to say, but then Kimberly adjusts her hold on Trini mid-air. Trini squeaks and wraps her arms tighter around her neck. "W-what are you doing?!"

"Just hold on."

Kimberly's no longer holding Trini bridal style. With the princess' much larger body - though she isn't sure if that's because of the body modifications of the curse or if Kimberly's really _that_ big - she was able to easily hold Trini against her, much like how a mother would her toddler.

(The comparison does not make Trini any more happy about her height, but she can't be too mad since she was the one who came up with it.)

She was just about to ask what the purpose of this was, when she feels heat emanate from Kimberly. It wasn't scalding, just warm enough that she can feel life come back to her toes and finger tips. She can't help the hum that escapes her as she unconsciously buries her cold nose in Kimberly's neck.

Kimberly stiffens and for a brief moment her wings falter. She was quick to recover, holding onto Trini tighter as her wings flap to keep them in the air.

"S-sorry," Kimberly stutters out for some reason. "I guess we should end the game here, then." She laughs, somehow sounding strained. "We should get you back inside where it's warm."

Trini frowns. That would mean a forfeit, wouldn't it? She doesn't like the idea of losing to Zack's team.

She looks down, sees the boys' abandoned "fort" and the pile of snowballs they left behind. She smirks. An idea just popped into her mind.

"Hey. Your wings are strong right?"

Kimberly blinks. "Yeah. Why?"

She feels her grin grow wider. When she tells Kimberly her plan, she mirrors her expression, albeit with a more intimidating look.

As soon as Trini tells her to, Kimberly swoops down, heading straight for the boys' abandoned post. Jason and Zack were standing a few feet from it, so Trini and Kimberly were already done loading the balled up snow into the skirt of Trini's dress and flying back up into the air by the time they got there. 

They look up at them and Trini can already imagine their confused faces as Kimberly circles above them.

"Ready?" Trini asks. When Kimberly nods, she throws all the gathered snowball into the air. She echoes back Zack's war cry, "No mercy!"

Kimberly flaps her wings once, _hard_ , and makes a gust of wind strong enough to rain the snowballs down on the two boys. Jason and Zack scream, more out of surprise and bewilderment. They end up buried in their own ammo, the snowballs Zack himself made the cause of their demise.

Kimberly and Trini land safely on the ground but Jason and Zack are still laying down, groaning. The two girls smile smugly down at them. They know Zack and Jason aren't really hurt, although their pride might have taken some damage.

"Give up?" Kimberly mockingly asks.

"Yup," Zack weakly says.

"Wait, where's Billy?" Jason asks just as they hear an object hit against something and the snapping of a branch.

Trini and Kimberly look up to follow the source of the sound. They see white for only a second before a pile of snow from a fallen tree branch falls on top of them. Kimberly and Trini have now collapsed beside Jason and Zack, also buried in snow. 

Clapping sounds catch their attention and they stare wide eyed at Billy, the culprit. "Whoo! Does this mean we win?"

Trini and Kimberly blink at each other before looking back at Billy.

"Sure thing, Billy," Trini says with a laugh and ignores Zack's victorious whooping. She'd rather sit up and stand away from the snow right now than listen to Zack brag when all he did was ball up snow.

"How did you even do that?" Kimberly asks.

"Oh, I just threw that on a branch." He points at something shiny buried beneath the snow.

"Oh, hey," Jason cheers when he digs it up. "My head!"

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

They go back to the castle's study for Trini's benefit after they've all had their fun. After spending the day playing with them, Kimberly has become more relaxed around the boys and Trini. She willingly joined them in the study and started the fire. 

Trini would have been a lot more amazed at seeing her breathe fire into the hearth if she wasn't so desperate to get the warmth back into her body. 

Trini traded her snow-soaked cloaked with a thick blanket that Zack was thoughtful enough to fetch for her. She curls herself up on the couch since it has unofficially become her spot. Kimberly moves to sit on one of the two chairs but Billy and Zack quickly snatch the two seats from.

Kimberly puts her hands on her hips and looks pointedly at the two boys. "Hey!"

"What?" Zack slouches in his chair. "It's our usual seat. Right, Billy?"

Billy's helmet nods up and down. Kimberly makes the face of someone who looks betrayed. She turns to Jason, probably for help, but he only shrugs as he sits on the carpeted floor.

"Just sit beside me," Trini says. She quirks a brow at Zack and Billy but they ignore her. "There's plenty of room here."

Kimberly does, though not without huffing to show that she's upset. 

"Isn't this nice?" Billy says. "It's been a while since we've all been together like this. Well, not _like this_ like this. Trini's a new addition, but not an unwelcome one."

Trini smiles, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself. "Thanks."

"It sometimes makes me think what would happen if we met you earlier. You know, before the curse."

"My family has travelled from land to land since I was a little girl," Trini says. "I guess it _would_ have been possible." She smirks at Kimberly. "I'm sure it wouldn't be impossible to run into a princess who loves to sneak out so much."

Kimberly laughs, a sound Trini wouldn't mind getting used to compared to the usual snarls and growls. "You told her?"

"She wanted to know how three three knights got to be friends with the princess of all people, Jason says. "It was an interesting memory to relive."

"I'll bet," Kimberly says. She tells Trini, "When he saw me wearing my tiara in that banquet, he looked like he was about to be put on execution instead of attending a party."

"Oh, I legitimately thought so."

Zack snickers. "You shoulda seen his face, Crazy Girl. The white boy looked even paler than he already was."

Trini tilts her head. "Did you just call him 'white boy'? What does that make you then?"

"Oh, you don't know because you can't see our faces," Billy says. "We look different from the people in this land because our family came here from another."

"My mother came here from the East," Zack says. "But I was born here. My father was from here, but I look a lot more like my mother."He points at the eye holes in his visor. "My hair's jet black and my eyes are narrower."

"Sometimes when you laugh your eyes disappear altogether," Kimberly says. 

"I think it's one of my most charming features."

"Of course you do."

"What about you, Billy?" Trini asks before Zack could get lost in bragging about himself.

"My mother said our family moved here from a tribe in some distant land. Sometimes Zack can pass off as a native if he covers enough of his face, but I can't. My skin is really dark."

"Like me?"

"Well, much darker than yours."

She smiles. "Well, you must look beautiful, then."

"He is," Jason suddenly says. All four of them stare at him and he only clears his throat, absent as it may be.

Billy bashfully shifts in his seat. "Thank you for thinking so. Not a lot of people do."

Trini gives him a sympathetic look. "Both of you, too, huh." She briefly remembers Colt's words, only a small portion of the other multitude of insults she's heard from other natives. "I know how that feels."

"I guess that's part of why we feel so comfortable around you, Trini," Billy says. "Even before the curse changed our bodies, we've always felt like we were different. It's not just the color of my skin for me. People think I think differently, and they don't like that."

Billy's words remind Trini of her mother. She knows how _that_ feels, too.

"I'm really sorry people treated you that way," Jason says.

"You don't have to be, Jason. You never did that to Zack and me. You helped us forget about that."

" _We_ fought a lot, Jason and me," Zack says, but there's a hint of fondness in his voice. "But his punches never felt discriminatory."

Jason laughs. "Oh, I never punched you for being a foreigner. I did so because you were annoying."

"Like I said."

"It's impressive that you managed to become knights," Trini says. "People like us don't have much opportunities in these lands." Trini's family sometimes didn't get any customers because of their skin color.

"Oh that's because of Kimberly's father," Billy says. "He was really kind, even to people who came from other lands. The queen wasn't from here, either. Right, Kim? Kim's mother was really beautiful. She -"

" _Billy_ ," Jason interrupts. 

Everyone's attention turns to Kimberly. She's closed off again, her eyes staring intently at the fire.

"S-sorry," Billy stammers out. "I got carried away. I just wanted to share to Trini all these stuff about us since there's so many she doesn't know. I -" Jason's hand on his shoulder silences him again. "I'm just... sorry."

Kimberly gives him a small smile. "It's okay, Billy. I understand."

Billy doesn't respond, just quietly nods his head.

"Hey, Crazy Girl." Trini jumps at the sudden attention on her. "You look like you're still freezing. Maybe we should make you something hot for your belly. What do you say, Billy?"

"Oh. Oh!" Billy excitedly stands from his chair. "Kim can get to taste it, too! My cooking isn't as good as Momma's was, but Trini's helping me out and she says it's pretty good. Wait right here."

Billy leaves the room with Jason trailing behind him. Trini stands with the intention of following to help out, but Zack pushes her back down by her shoulders.

"Where did you think you were going?" Zack asks accusingly.

"To the kitchen? To help out?'

"No, nope! None of that. Don't think I haven't noticed you overworking yourself. If you want to get back to cleaning tomorrow, then rest today."

Trini pouts but relents. " _Fine_. Just don't do anything more than cutting ingredients else you poison us."

"Will do!" Zack salutes before leaving the room.

Trini is alone with Kimberly now, and they're somehow back to where they started: Kimberly not wanting to talk and Trini not knowing what to say. 

"So Billy can cook now."

Kimberly's sudden voice almost made Trini jump. "Yeah. I've been taste testing for him. He's pretty good."

"... I don't really need to eat cooked food anymore." She stands. "I should go back to my room."

Trini hurriedly grabs Kimberly's wrist. "Wait! You can't leave yet. Just because you don't have to doesn't mean you can't. I'll bet Billy's cooking beats raw rabbit's meat... or whatever it is you hunt for food."

Kimberly makes a face. "Raw meat only tastes terrible for you. My body's different."

"So? Look. I know what you're doing."

Kimberly gives her a doubtful look. She sits back down and crosses her arms. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. You're behaving like a beast, even when you don't have to, because that's how you think people will see you. Things like that don't hurt when you make it look like you chose to be that way."

Kimberly huffs. "Why do you always act like you have me all figured out?"

"Because I do."

"That's bold of you to assume."

Trini shifts in her seat so that she's facing Kimberly. "What that witch did to you was _horrible_ , Princess. But she only changed your body." She points at Kimberly's chest, where her heart is. "But not that. Don't let what she did destroy your bond with those boys. Or how you see yourself." She sighs. "At least taste Billy's soup. He worked so hard. He wants to be as good as his mother, since he knows how much you loved her cooking."

"... I haven't even used a spoon in _years_.

Trini lets out a snort. "Then don't use one."

"What? Lick from the bowl like some dog?"

Trini leans back on the armrest and wraps the blanket tighter around herself. "Whatever it takes to get it down your throat, Princess."

Kimberly shakes her head, but there's a smile on her face. "I'm not a princess anymore."

"Sure you are."

"What part of my appearance makes you think that?" she flatly asks.

Trini vaguely gestures with her hand. "Every thing else."

Kimberly turns quiet as she considers Trini. "Are you still freezing? You could come closer if you want."

Trini grimaces. "I don't really want to sit on the carpet. I _just_ got comfortable."

Kimberly rolls her eyes. "I meant closer to me." He opens her right wing in invitation. "You don't need to embrace me or anything. Just get under my wing."

"Oh." Trini feels her face flush. She only now realized that she shamelessly buried her face in a _princess'_ neck. "Sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to invade your space or anything." A dragon lady is still a lady after all. 

"I didn't mind," she says but Trini distinctly remembers that her wings faltered when she did so. "Don't you want to get warm or what?"

She has a half a mind to refuse, but she really hates the cold and Kimberly was the one who offered. 

Oh, well. Her mother did say refusing a kind offer would be rude.

She moves closer to her, the sides of their arms brushing against each other. Now that the cold isn't clogging her sinuses, she can smell the scent of roses from Kimberly. When Kimberly's wing wraps itself around her, there's an immediate and pleasant warmth that transfers from Kimberly's body to Trini's. An involuntary hum comes out of Trini again and the pleasant warmth makes her eyes close. Her head begins to tilt downwards, but she catches herself just in time before it completely lands on Kimberly's shoulder.

"Sorry," she sheepishly apologizes. "'Guess I'm a little sleepy."

"You can sleep if you want. They probably won't be back for a while."

"Mm." She lets herself lean on Kimberly then, no longer able to resist the comfort of her warmth. "Just don't leave. I want you to be here when I wake up and the boys arrive. I've been trying to get you to dine with us for days and I'm not giving up now." She can feel herself slowly losing consciousness to sleep. The last thing she registers is Kimberly's quiet response.

"I'll be here."

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

She doesn't know how long she was napping for and she doesn't know why the hell someone is squealing. But she _is_ starting to wake and there _is_ someone making a God awful noise, whoever it is.

Zack! Shut up!" Kimberly growls.

Zack. _Of course_.

She removes her head from Kimberly's shoulder as she blearily opens her eyes. Kimberly hasn't loosened her hold on Trini, so she doesn't move away from her. It's much too cosy.

The boys have arrived, and they're acting weird. Billy's doing that thing where he's so excited he wants to jump, but he tries not to, so he's just shifting from the toes to the balls of his feet. Zack's arms are flapping at his sides, and though his quite unmanly squealing has subsided, it is still very much audible. Jason is the only one who doesn't look like an excited little girl, but Trini has this weird feeling that he's smiling.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," Kimberly is the one who answers. "Zack saw a rat and he's afraid of them."

Zack gasps and points a finger at Kimberly. "I told you that in confidence!"

Trini feels a smirk grow on her face. Maybe she _will_ stuff a squirrel in his armor someday, if he gets annoying enough. They're counted as rodents, right?

"That doesn't matter now," Jason says. "Why don't you girls just eat this before it gets cold?"

Kimberly picks up the spoon and scrutinizes it. It really must have been a while. 

Trini forgoes her spoon and picks up her bowl. It wasn't so hot that it was scalding, just warm enough to be pleasant for her cold palms. She blows on the soup's surface before taking a generous sip straight from the rim.

"Oh, wow. That's really good, Billy."

Once Kimberly gets over her brief shock, she does the same thing as Trini and drinks straight from the bowl. She makes a delighted sound.

"That's really good! Almost like what Candace used to make."

"Really?" Billy asks.

"Really. Ah, well," she smiles a little sadly, "it's been a while since she died and I got to last taste her cooking. But it's just as good as I remember."

Billy claps excitedly and the other two boys pat him on the back. 

They spend the night talking, about the places Trini travelled to since none of them have had the opportunity to leave their beloved land. She avoids mentioning her parents, but she couldn't help fondly talking about her brothers. 

Even Kimberly started talking with an easy smile on her face, about the antics she got into with the boys when she was still able to sneak away from her princess duties and before the boys got too busy with knight training.

Nobody asked why Trini was pressed up against Kimberly's side, and the other girl made no movement to leave, so they stayed where they were. Billy and Zack were more energetic than they usually were and Jason talked a lot more than he usually did. Trini has never seen Kimberly smile this much.

She can tell how happy they all are to be here, together, despite the burden of the curse they have been put under. Trini finds herself drinking in that happiness. She will never admit it, else Zack and Jason would tease her for it, but she's grateful that she ran into the woods and had Kimberly bring her here, letting her be a part of it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more stuff about kim's dragon form was supposed to be in here, but they all suddenly decided to have a snowball fight :/
> 
> comments are very much appreciated :D


	6. Do I Just Sit Here And Not Fall In Love With You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly just wants to get to know Trini, but the boys think that there might be something there that wasn't there before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just sayin', the chapter title from the song "Not Fall in Love with You" of the show RWBY
> 
> i forgot to mention last time, but prmorphinggrid made a super cool sketch of dragon!kim. it's way better than what i imagined tbh
> 
> Check it out  
> https://barbara-lazuli.tumblr.com/post/175987674238/prmorphingrid-me-after-reading-yellow-beauty

"Ow!" Kimberly cradles the side of her head where Jason surprisingly hit her. It doesn't actually hurt, considering her current form has made her much more durable. But it's the mere fact that Jason _punched_ her that offends her. "What the hell was that for?!"

Jason silently walks away from Kimberly to lean on the wall opposite Kimberly's bed. She's sitting on it at the moment, snarling at Jason, while Billy and Zack remain uncharacteristically quiet from both of Jason's sides.

"That was for avoiding us," Jason says with a cross of his arms. "For _years_ , might I add."

Kimberly's face falls and she ducks her head in shame. The time for laughter and games is over now that Trini is sound asleep in her own chamber. It's time for her friends to unload their grievances. "You should've hit me harder, then."

"Why, Kim?" Billy asks. The sound of his hurt voice hits her worse than Jason's punch. "Why did you keep avoiding us? You didn't have to be ashamed. We were all changed."

"That's the thing. You got involved. This wouldn't have happened to you too if you didn't need to protect me."

"So what? You felt guilty for that?" Zack says dubiously. "Kimmy, protecting you is our _job_ as your knights. More than that we're you're friends. Getting involved was our choice."

There's a moment of silence where they just wait for Kimberly to reply.

"I got scared," she admits. "I kept thinking that you all probably hate me."

"You could have talked to us," Billy says.

"I didn't want to know. So I just hid." She laughs mirthlessly. "Which is pretty pathetic, now that I've said it."

"And idiotic," Jason adds. "We stayed in this castle, Kim, for you. Because we knew that you needed us." He pauses. Kimberly knows that he would be clenching his jaw right now if he still had one. "We just wanted your company."

Zack shakes his head. "You're even crazier than Trini to think that we would ever hate you. After all we've been through, did you really think we could?"

Kimberly's eyes briefly stray to the ruined portrait on the wall near Zack. Her mother staring back at her. "I thought my mother loved me. But she didn't."

"Is this because of what Rita said?" Jason asks incredulously. "Don't tell me you believe what she said."

"But it's true. You've heard the rumors, I know you must have. That she didn't willingly leave her country because she loved my father. She didn't choose him." Like she didn't choose Tyler. "I've heard her cry, and the arguments. But I ignored all of it. I convinced myself that she didn't have time to see me because she was busy with her duties. That's true, but she didn't _make_ time for me either."

When she was young, it was easy to ignore all the signs. Easy to convince herself that she wasn't lonely when she had Candace and the other workers and her boys to keep her company. Her mother preferred tending to her garden over being with her daughter, but it was easy to brush that off when she'd let Kimberly accompany her if she annoyed her enough. 

She thought she knew Queen Madison. But she was only seeing through rose colored lenses, and Rita's words shattered them.

"Your mother loved you," Jason says.

"She probably didn't even _want_ me. She probably didn't love my father, and she didn't love this kingdom either. She was trapped here and I was her shackle. Just as I am yours."

"You can't think like that," Zack says. "It's unfair to say that about her when she can't even be here to defend herself."

Kimberly smiles at him, but there's no joy in it. "You wouldn't understand. Mei's love for you was unquestionable."

Billy shakes his head. "That doesn't matter. _We_ can't hate you. And you won't have to question that. We're just upset. We just wanted you to be here."

Kimberly lowers her head again in shame. Billy kneels in front of her so that he can look her in the eye. But Billy's warm brown eyes don't stare back at her. Just the gaps of the visor of an empty armor.

"This body comes with a lot of inconveniences. I can't sleep anymore, so I can't turn my mind off. The nights of the first few years, I was restless. We all were, but I had it worse. I think about too many things and my mind doesn't get any rest from all of those thoughts. Sometimes I think of ridiculous things. I ask myself questions, like, 'Had I really been human?' Stuff like that."

"You were," she says, in case he still doubts. "You all were." 

She remembers what Trini said, when she pointed at her heart and said that Rita's magic never changed it.

"You still are," Kimberly says to all of them.

"Yeah, that was what we needed."

Kimberly understands. Sometimes, she forgets what being human felt like, too. But she can only imagine what it must feel like for them. To not even have the luxury of dreaming, to escape the harsh reality for a few fleeting hours. But she knows how terrible it can be to be left alone with your thoughts, and to have six years' worth of it without rest? She cries at the thought.

She's been selfish. She knows she has. But it's only now that she sees how much it has affected them, her _friends_. She was so focused on protecting herself that she hurt the only people that truly cared about her.

"I'm sorry," she says, because what else is there to do? They didn't need her excuse. "I am so sorry."

Billy was never really fancied physical affection. Kimberly supposes his new body has also taken the sense of suffocation he'd feel when he'd do it. Either way, he surprises her by pulling her into an embrace. Awkward as he may be, she melts into it. She hears Jason and Zack approach before two more pair of arms join them.

"I'm such an idiot," she says through her tears.

"A total ass, too, don't forget," Zack adds lightly just to make her laugh, but she only nods into Billy's chest in agreement.

"I'm the worst."

"No, you're not," Billy says matter-of-factly, sounding almost surprised. "You just did a terrible thing."

Jason's helmet leans on the side of her head. "Just don't do that shit again, Hart. I don't like worrying about you."

She wants to say that Jason would probably always worry about him, because that's how they've always been. But she holds her tongue and nods.

They hold onto each other for a few more moments. The metal is cold against her scales, but she can feel her friends' warmth in her heart. Soon, they pull away. It's a little unfair that she's the only one left a mess due to her tears, but she figures it's a small price to pay.

Zack is the next one to speak, just to lighten the mood.

"Whoo! Really now. If we knew all it'd take for you to stop being a damn hermit was a pretty girl, we would have kidnapped a bunch of ladies for you years ago."

That finally gets a smile out of her. But the thought of Trini is to blame for the quirk in her lips. She really has a lot to thank her for.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

When they were children, Kimberly wasn't very good with horses. She only got better after meeting the boys and Jason taught her. King Theodore was proud, even ecstatic at first, but he soon discovered that a trouble-making princess can wreck even more havoc when strapped on the back of a horse, so her lessons were put on an emergency pause.

"For the sake of the citizens," he said. 

She knew her father was lying but she relented. She didn't really care that much about it.

But Jason, he absolutely loved the horses. He was a stable boy before he became a squire and met "Anne". Kimberly didn't understand what was to be loved of the damn beasts, but he understood that Jason was allowed his own opinions.

He loved taking care of them, and he's a magnificent rider. She may have improved due to his teachings, but she can never hope to be as good as him. He probably would have been content taking care of the horses if Sam hadn't taught him all his life that he should grow up to be a noble knight. Jason had Sam's legacy to uphold. Though he may complain, Jason never had the heart to disappoint his father.

Kimberly suggested that he participate in jousting once, so he could still ride, do something he truly enjoyed, but he looked almost disgusted at the suggestion. 

"Horses don't always walk away unscathed from those tournaments", he said, so Kimberly let it go.

But the horses are gone now. When the curse was cast and the princess "disappeared", the kingdom was at a loss. The land was divided, and according to Trini, Duke Oliver owned the biggest part of it. The castle was emptied of anything of value. But the people, _her_ people didn't die of poverty. Duke Oliver took care of the citizens, and for that Kimberly doesn't mind losing everything.

But it still saddens her, to know she wasn't the only one to lose something. 

"Do you miss riding?" Kimberly asks Jason even though she knows the answer. They're in her balcony, looking at the field where the horses would usually prance around. It's covered in snow now and nothing else.

"Riding a horse? Yes."

The answer sounded strange, so she shoots him a look. "Well what else is supposed to be your steed?"

Jason stares back, and she imagines that grin of his, ever cocky and boyish. "His name is Beefcake."

"Who now?"

He pushes himself off the railing and motions for her to follow him. "Let me show you. It's almost time to feed him, anyway." Kimberly still looks hesitant, so he adds, "Trini will be there, too."

She follows him, but she tells him that it's because she wants to know what his not-horse is. He doesn't have eyes anymore, but she knows he's giving her a knowing look.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Trini and Zack are squabling over something when Jason and Kimberly find them on the third floor of the left wing's hall. Jason said they were supposed to be cleaning, but Billy's the only one being productive. 

Trini's back is to them, so she doesn't see them coming. "I swear, Zack. Call me 'Didi' again and I'll use that scarf of yours as a _rag_."

"Jason! Kimmy!"

Trini jumps and turns to the two newcomers. She hastily wipes her hands on her skirt. Kimberly thinks the action is unnecessary, but she pretends to not notice to spare Trini the embarassment.

"Hey," is Trini's way of greeting. "Glad to see you out of your room."

Kimberly looks away. Something about Trini's small but earnest smile just turns her bashful. It's almost like she's reduced to her teenage self when Trini's within proximity. It's a strange feeling but not totally unpleasant, so long as Zack doesn't tease her for it. But she has a feeling that he will, once he notices. "I'm trying to make a habit of it."

"I was wondering if you all wanted to come with me to feed Beefcake," Jason says.

Trini's brow furrows, confused. "Why? We're kind of busy." 

She doesn't notice Kimberly glaring at Jason, who promised that Trini would _already_ be coming with them and _lied_. 

Jason shrugs. He's never been much of a talker. "Take a break."

"Yes, please!" Zack cheers. "Come on, Crazy Girl. My chickens need some feeding, too."

"I wouldn't mind a break," Billy says and that's all it takes for Trini to set her mop against the wall. Kimberly can understand. She has never been able to say no to Billy either.

"Fine," Trini says as she unfolds the sleeves of her blouse. "I'll go get my coat.

Zack whispers something to Trini that Kimberly doesn't hear. Trini blushes, frowns, then pushes on Zack's chest. Kimberly looks away. Zack has always been a flirt. She supposes no curse could change that.

She focuses on something else instead. "Wait. What chickens?"

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

The castle, her castle, is huge with numerous rooms and a vast land that surrounds it. So you can't really blame Kimberly for not noticing that the boys have apparently set up a farm on a small patch of land far behind the castle.

"We had a lot of time in our hands," Billy says. "Since we didn't exactly have our usual knight duties anymore. So we figured taking care of animals and farming would be enough to pass the time."

"Came in handy, too," Zack says. "Helped us feed Crazy Girl."

It's not much. Just four pigs and one rooster and three hens. There's even a small crop for a few vegetables like garlic, onion, and tomatoes. Zack grew up with farmers while his mother tailored dresses. He must have taught them.

"Zack wouldn't let me eat the pigs, though," Trini says. Her hands are holding onto the lapels of her coat to wrap it tighter around herself. Kimberly wants to offer the warmth of her body again, but the boys are here. Zack especially. 

"I am not letting you eat my babies," he says resolutely. He looks pointedly at Kimberly. "Got that?"

Kimberly at least has the sense to look guilty. So she started visibly drooling when she saw the chickens. So what? She at least held herself back from _pouncing_ on them. She doesn't really want Trini to see that. It's not her fault her dragon form has made her hunger more feral.

"Then what's the point of having them if not to eat?" Trini asks.

"Companionship."

Trini rolls her eyes and throws a smirk Kimberly's way. Kimberly pretends that she didn't melt a little at the sight. 

They leave Zack and Billy to tend to the chickens and pigs. Jason leads the girls to the stables. Kimberly already expected what she'd find, but she still can't help the laughter that escapes her.

"Your steed's a _cow_ ," Kimberly says. 

"Yup," Jason says, sounding much too proud as he lugs around the armful of hay for Beefcake. "You can stay there. Trini and I need to clean his stall."

Kimberly frowns. "I can help."

"I'm not letting you anywhere _near_ Beefcake. You're looking at him like he's your prey."

Kimberly gasps offendedly at Jason's retreating back. She has better self-control than they give her credit for.

Trini pauses in front of her and gives her another small smile. She's noticed that Trini always smiles like that. Like she doesn't quite know how because she doesn't do it often, but she _tries_. 

"I'm proud of you," Trini says. "The boys are happier now. You are, too."

Kimberly wants to say that she's to thank for the happiness she's feeling right now, the boys', too. But then wind briefly blows her hair into her face and Kimberly's hand moves on its own. She tucks the stray strands behind Trini's ear, careful not to scratch her tan skin with her claws. Her fingers linger, and when Trini blinks up at her, she quickly pulls away.

Okay, so maybe self-control isn't her forte.

"I'll just..." She clears her throat. "... wait right here." She sits cross-legged on the snow. The frost melts a little from the heat of her body and Trini looks like she's part amused, part confused.

"Okay then. It's better you don't get near it anyway. The stall doesn't smell pleasant at all."

She watches her leave. She can still see the stall from where she's sitting, so she continues staring as they work. When it's a choice between barren snow and a beautiful girl, it's no contest which one she'd rather look at.

"Wipe the drool from your mouth, Kimmy," Zack's voice chastises. "It's unlady-like."

Kimberly's hand shoots up to her chin without much thought. When she finds that it's dry, she scowls. Zack snickers as he and Billy sit on the snow on either side of her. 

"Just so you know, Jason's grown fond of that cow," Billy says. "So eating it isn't allowed either."

"I'm not _that_ hungry for beef," she grumbles.

"Oooh..." Zack leans closer. "Hungry for something else then? Couldn't possibly be Jason's metallic ass. So, perhaps-" He stops himself abruptly when Kimberly snarls to show her teeth.

But Zack has more up his sleeve. Kimberly knows he always does.

"So what's the plan?"

Kimberly keeps her eyes on the stall. Jason must really like Trini's company, because he isn't usually comfortable enough around women to joke. Or maybe he just changed over the years. Either way, he must have said something funny, because Trini is throwing her head back to laugh heartily.

Kimberly can hear her laughter, thanks to her sharper ears. She looks even more beautiful, she thinks, when Trini's smiling not because she has to try. 

"What do you mean?" she asks Zack absently, when what he said finally processes her mind.

"You know. The plan."

She regrettably pulls her eyes away to stare, annoyed, at Zack. "Plan for what?"

"The plan! To woo your woo-man!" Then he adds, "And I mean wooing Trini, in case that isn't clear."

Kimberly can no longer blush, since most of her skin is covered in scales. But her body still manages to betray her in showing how flustered she is by emitting a wave of heat that completely melts the snow around them within at least a three meter radius.

"Oh!" Billy looks down at the grass revealed when the frost evaporated. "Now _that's_ cool!"

"That-that's...!" She stammers for a response, but it's like her tongue has been tied in a knot. "I can't... _woo_ Trini. She's a girl. A woman! A-And so am I! I'm not interested in-" 

"I'm going to stop you right there, Kimmy," Zack says. "There's no point in denying it. We already know."

"... know what?"

"Lady Amanda," Billy says and Kimberly's ears twitch at the name. "We know about your previous dalliance with her. I-It was an accident. I saw you with her in the gazebo. I swear I looked away when I realized what was happening. I asked Jason if we should tell you, but he said that you'd tell us if it was important."

Kimberly crosses her arms. "It wasn't. Amanda just wanted to have fun."

Zack tilts his head to the side. "Was it for you? Just 'fun'?"

Kimberly exhales. "What does it matter. I'm over it." It could never come into fruition. Amanda was to mary a noble whose name Kimberly didn't even know and Kimberly was to marry Tyler, have an _heir_.

"Forget about the curse," Billy says. "Don't you like her? Shouldn't you at least try?"

"It won't happen," she says, no longer able to deny her affection. She has a feeling that doing so would be in vain. Her friends can still read her, even after all those years that she avoided them. "How will she even love me?"

She can't even love herself.

Zack hums in thought. "I'm sure we can work something out. I mean, I've heard of some weird people who are into furry creatures. Maybe she could be into reptilians."

Kimberly grimaces at Zack, and she knows that in his heart Billy is doing the same.

"Where the hell did you get that information?" Kimberly asks, part curious, part mortified.

"You'd be surprised of the things drunk people share. You just gotta find the right tavern."

"Judging by the information you gathered, doesn't sound like any kind of 'right'," Billy says.

"I'm just saying. Your scales could be an asset."

Kimberly groans into her knees. She can't believe she's having this converstion right now.

"That wouldn't be very helpful."

_Thank you, Billy._

"Focusing on that would be counter-productive from the objective."

"What?" Kimberly and Zack ask.

Billy, ever patient, explains, "We want the curse to be lifted, right? Then we don't want Trini to fall for her _because_ of her scales. Because we want it to go away. She has to fall for her regardless of her appearance. Momma said that's how you know your love is true."

"Not being into scales?" Zack teases, but Billy misses the joking tone of his voice.

"No. That it isn't to love because of one's beauty. But to love despite the flaws."

Kimberly tries to remember that. Though the thought is a little frightening, since it makes Kimberly feel a little hopeful.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Kimberly tries to end that ridiculous conversation by saying that none of those things would matter if Trini isn't even interested in women. But Billy and Zack exchange a glance.

"You should ask Trini why she ran away," Zack says. "Since it's not really our place to say."

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Sometimes Kimberly wonders if Trini is suffocated by it all. Now that she's involved in their lives, she can see how Jason, Zack, and Billy would juggle Trini's attention among themselves. The boys are excited to have new company after years of isolation. She understands how they feel. If she still doesn't feel so much like an outsider - something that she admittedly did to herself - she would probably be fighting for her attention, too. 

But her motives aren't quite the same as theirs. 

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Jason likes that Trini isn't very talkative. In times when she passes them, cleaning, taking care of Beefcake, or just hanging around the castle, they are surrounded by a comfortable silence that Kimberly didn't want to break. As the son of Samuel, the (previous) head of the (now dismantled) royal army, Jason's had his fair share of fancy balls and socialization with people that he didn't even want to interact with. It drained him, especially when those people expected so much from him. 

"She's really quiet," he said one night when Kimberly asked him what being friends with Trini is like. "Which was a little unnerving at first. I kind of fumbled around often, trying to gauge how to interact with her, but then I realized that she didn't care. It was a little freeing, to not have how I present myself to her matter."

"I like thay we don't need to talk much," is what Jason says. But Kimberly knows that what he means is ,"I like that she doesn't expect much from me. Just whatever I can give."

But then he starts teasing her, asking why she's so interested. She brushes him off. She flies away when he keeps pestering her.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

All of them love Billy. Trini, it seems, isn't immune from the miasma that makes people adore the brilliant son of the late William and Candace. 

Trini is smart, incredibly so. Billy would talk about the stars, something that has always fascinated him. Trini tells him about the constellations, the stories behind them and how some people use them to navigate. Apparently, she's read about them in some of the books she got to borrow.

Billy has always loved learning. It's one of the things that Kimberly thought was unfair, the fact that a boy as brilliant as Billy couldn't study because he was just a miner and cook's son. 

But while Billy was distracted by knight duties to study, Trini took whatever knowledge she could get from the books she'd read in her travels. She shares them with Billy, and he takes that information and formulates ideas of his own. 

Zack, Jason, and Kimberly adore Billy, that's out of the question. But sometimes it's hard to catch up to him, or even understand him. But Trini does, in a certain way. Zack jokes that they have a language of their own.

"She's really smart," Billy says with wonder. What she knows he doesn't say is, "I've finally found someone like me."

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Zack and Trini's relationship is... amusing. Well, it only became amusing once Zack reassured her that he doesn't plan on courting Trini since she would never be interested in him in that way. 

(Kimberly ignores the implications of her relief.)

They squabble a lot, but it's nothing too new when it comes to Zack's interactions with almost everyone. 

He likes to annoy people. That confused Kimberly at first, as he purposely does it. But she's come to learn that he does that so he knows who can handle him. Because, according to him, people who can endure him at his worst behavior would surely stay. When you're like him, who's had his father leave him and his mother taken away by a mysterious illness, you'd like to know who are the type of people who wouldn't immediately abandon you.

Trini only _pretends_ to hate Zack, he says. She would usually call him out on wishful thinking, but this time Kimberly believes him. Because Trini may scowl a lot at Zack's distasteful jokes, but she also smiles and laughs the most when she's with him. 

Kimberly can endure being the butt of Zack's jokes if it means witnessing more of Trini's smiles.

"Oh, that girl's crazy," Zack says with a laugh. Which is a compliment in Zack's language, and good news for them. Because only a crazy person would prefer the company of four cursed people instead of the home she ran away from.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Kimberly feels a little guilty for asking these things about Trini. It's not like what she used to do when she was younger and didn't know better. Like when she and Amanda talked badly about the servants and other "peasants". 

God, that was an aweful year. She had an argument with the boys then. She was just too smitten too see how much of a terrible influence someone so beautiful could be.

Ah, there it is again. Rose colored lenses.

Still. She really could just approach Trini and get go know her herself instead of getting second-hand information from the boys or watching from afar. It's at least a little creepy, isn't it?

She should be a little braver than this. 

Trini is a lot more impressive. Kimberly is aware of how terrifying her form is. But Trini was bold enough to challenge her, pester her numerous times. For the boys' sake. Not because Trini wanted to personally see more of Kimberly. But she'd be lying if she said that not even a small part of her relished in the attention she was given.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

"Have you seen Trini?" 

Kimberly's voice catches Jason and Zack's attention. They found a chessboard the other day while cleaning and Zack and Billy are taking advantage of it. The pieces aren't complete, so they used pebles to fill in for the missing ones.

Billy remains focused on the board. It's his turn to make a move and it's difficult to get his attention when he has his eyes trained on something.

"Isn't she in the gazebo?" Zack suggests. "I hid all the cleaning supplies somewhere in the castle so she doesn't tire herself out with cleaning." He shakes his head. "That girl's obssessive, I tell you. Sometimes I have to _force_ her to rest."

Kimberly smiles sadly when he looks away. Zack is worried. No one knew what illness Mei caught, but he still remembers that overworking was a factor to his mother's demise.

"Are you going talk to her instead of asking about her from us now?" Jason asks.

She neither confirms nor denies his suspicions. She leaves them in the study where she hears Billy's voice exclaim "Checkmate!" and Zack's slew of curses for losing the fifth time in a row.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

The flapping of Kimberly's wings when she lands notifies Trini of her presence. She looks up at her once, and offers a small smile.

"Have you come to brood out here instead of in your room?" Trini says, a subtle but noticable teasing in her voice.

"No," Kimberly says as she takes a seat a few paces from her. "Why? Are _you_ brooding?"

Trini makes a face that wrinkles the edge of her right eye. "That sounds so sappy. I'm just bored. Why are _you_ here?"

 _I just wanted to see you_.

"I'm just bored," she echoes.

Trini sighs. "It's kind of jarring. I used to hate the fact that my family always travelled. I wanted to be able to just... settle somewhere. Be still for once. But now I am and I have no idea what to do with myself."

Trini's brows are furrowed, her lips up turned. She must be frustrated with this new kind of freedom she has attained, because she's trapped by something else. 

"Maybe it's because you don't have your family with you?" Kimberly suggests. 

Trini blinks, and Kimberly immediately feels like she overstepped. But then Trini puffs out a laugh and Kimberly releases the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Gabby and Robbie would love to see this place." Trini folds her legs in front of herself and rests her chin on her knees. "Robbie would probably hang out with Beefcake a lot. He loves animals." She scrunches her nose. "Oh, but they shouldn't meet Zack. Especially Gabby."

Kimberly smirks. "Why? Afraid Zack would taint your precious brothers' innocent and pure minds?"

"Oh, they're not innocent _or_ pure. They would _idolize_ Zack. The thought of two more of him? Frightening."

"Ah." Zack being anyone's role model? "Yeah, that's pretty scary."

Trini's cheeks tinge pink. "Sorry. I just... _rambled_ about my dumb brothers. God, that's embarassing."

"No, you're fine. You just miss them."

She would like to say that it's a little (a lot) endearing, but she has a feeling Trini wouldn't appreciate that. 

Trini looks down. "Yeah, I guess." She sniffs once then blows out air from her mouth and faces Kimberly. "So. What about you, Princess? Didn't you have any _royal_ siblings?"

Kimberly takes a moment to stare at the curious tilt of Trini's head and her inviting eyes. It feels nice, to actually connect with someone after so many years. To have someone take interest, not because they're socially obligated to. The last time it happened was when she met the boys.

"No," she replies. "Just..." she laughs, " a spoiled little princess. Ah, but, I guess you could say Jason, Zack, and Billy are like my brothers."

"I bet. You mean a lot to them."

"Yeah?"

Trini gives her a look. "You seriously doubt that?"

"I'm just a skeptic, I guess."

Trini nods. "That, I can relate to."

There's a comfortable lull in the conversation where Trini closes her eyes and leans her head back on a pillar. She really does love her moments of silence. 

Kimberly almost feels bad when she asks, "Why don't you go see them? Your brothers." Trini's eyes slowly open. She looks like she's about to ask where _that_ came from, so Kimberly says, "You obviously miss them. And I've been thinking about what you told me. About being afraid. You were telling me that because you feel the same way, right?"

"Hah. You got me there," Trini dryly says. "Oh, the hypocrisy."

"You should go see them." 

Kimberly sure hopes she isn't over stepping. Trini did the same for her. She only wants to return the favor. 

"It's complicated."

Now it's Kimberly's turn to give her the look. "More complicated than this?" She gestures to her whole body, pertaining to the curse.

"Not necessarily. But it's not so simple that I could just walk back home and I'd be welcomed with open arms."

"But they probably miss you, too. I was worried about that, too, but Jason, Zack, and Billy? All they wanted was for me to come back to them."

"I don't even know if they're still _there_ , Princess. My family never stayed in the same place for too long. It's been more than a month since I left. They're probably two villages away from the last one we stayed in by now."

Kimberly doesn't know why Trini ran away yet. But surely someone this kind and bold and selfless is worth waiting for. "Wouldn't they wait?"

Trini's fists clench. She tries to hide the fact by burying her hands in her cloak. "I don't know about my father, but I doubt my mother would want to." She smiles grimly. "I'm only no longer of use to her, after all."

Kimberly frowns. "That doesn't make sense. You must be a wonderful daughter."

Trini flushes, much redder than the cold had made her. "Thanks," she mumbles. "But I don't think my mother thinks so." She grimaces. "She would keep telling me that she didn't raise me to be 'this way'. But it has nothing to do with that. It's not like I chose to be this. I just am. She didn't make some... 'mistake' to end up with a defective daughter. I guess I hope not." 

Trini sounds more like she's talking to herself now. People sometimes tell Kimberly that when quiet people start talking, it's hard to get them to stop. Because it's like a broken dam where everything they've been keeping to themselves just come spilling out.

Trini apologizes again. "You don't even know what I'm talking about."

"Tell me then."

Kimberly thinks she has an idea. From the way Zack and Billy seem confident that Trini taking interest in Kimberly isn't completely impossible. Even Jason thinks this way. 

Trini purses her lips, takes a deep breath, then exhales.

"There's this guy who wants to marry me." She sees Kimberly's face fall. "It's not what you're thinking!" She says, but Kimberly doubts that she knows how Kimberly's heart kind of broke a little with the mention of a man being involved. "I swear. That's the problem. I don't _want_ to."

"Oh."

"And Mama - - my mother was so mad. I'm not exactly an obedient daughter. Or well, I chose to not be. I was blatantly rude to her, did things that she wouldn't approve of so that I could give her excuses to hate me."

"What? Why?"

Trini shrugs. "So I can convince myself that she hates the things I do, not who I am. It hurts less that way, you know." Kimberly opens her mouth to speak, but Trini interrupts, "yes, yes, I know. The hypocrisy. Again." Trini sighs again. "But that still wasn't it. I didn't want to marry Thomas Oliver, nor do I want to marry other men." Her ears turn red. "I can't. My mother just couldn't accept that I would rather be with another woman."

Kimberly could no longer deny the sense of hope that filled her. Sure, just because Trini is attracted to women wouldn't automatically mean that Trini would ever be attracted to _her_. Not that there's anything about her to be attracted to. But it still counts for something, right? That at least means she's qualified for Trini's heart.

While Kimberly is elated at the revelation, Trini looks terrified at what she just revealed about herself. It seems she instantly regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth.

"That's her loss, then," Kimberly says to reassure the other girl. "I don't think there's anything wrong with you."

Trini visibly relaxes. "That's... wow. You're really fine with it?"

Kimberly is about to say that she feels the same, both toward men and women, but then she realizes that Trini mentioned a familiar name. "Wait. Thomas Oliver wanted to marry you?"

"Uh, well, the son did. 'Tommy', he wanted me to call him."

Kimberly groans, a low growl resounding somewhere deep in her throat. Kimberly has met Tommy before. He wasn't necessarily a terrible person, but she hated how he would mock Jason when he was still a squire. Or how he laughed off Kimberly's desire to learn to use a sword. 

"Women aren't meant to do things like that," fourteen-year-old Tommy once said. "They're too delicate. They're meant to be protected by men like me."

She was so tempted to shoot an arrow through his stupid ponytail back then just to scare him. Oh, if only her father hadn't taken her bow away then.

"Yeah, I know him. You were right to refuse his proposal."

"I didn't even know him long enough to know if he's terrible. His proposal was so out of the blue. He didn't even know me and yet he said he loved me."

"I don't really blame him. You're pretty easy to fall for." She clicks her tongue. "But that boy has always been a flirt." Not that Kimberly hasn't had her fair share of flings. 

She's too busy imagining shooting an arrow on Tommy's armpit to notice that Trini is flustered. "Wow. You really don't hold back on compliments, huh. Is this how the real Princess Kimberly is?"

"I like to speak my mind," she says. 

Trini's smile is a little wider now, though not like the ones she makes when Zack says something ridiculous. "Well, I like it."

Its not an 'I like you', but Kimberly will take what she can get. 

A cold breeze breeze hits them. Kimberly wants to brush her hair away from her face again, or offer her wing for heat. Maybe both. But Trini is standing up before she can act on her impulse.

"We should get back inside. It's getting colder."

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

She walks in pace with Trini even though she can easily fly back to the castle by herself. 

"I guess I should just sit around my room," Trini grumbles. "How boring."

"The boys are probably still playing chess," Kimberly says. "You should join them."

Trini grimaces. "No thank you. I hate that game."

"Yeah, me, too," Kimberly honestly says. "I only won against Jason, and that happened only once. By accident. I didn't exactly have a strategy. I just blindly moved pieces at random." Trini laughs, which Kimberly counts as a much more satisfying win. "Hey, you want to do something?"

Trini quirks a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Mischief. On Zack."

Kimberly doesn't appreciate how much he has teased her over Trini. The boy ought to be taught a lesson.

Trini makes a devilish grin that shouldn't make Kimberly's heart skip but does anyway. She sure hopes Trini doesn't notice how the frost immediately evaporates into the air as soon as Kimberly steps on it.

They snatch some cheese from the pantry and stealthily sneak crumbs inside Zack's armor. They didn't have to wait long before mice are chasing Zack and he makes the most unmanly screams. Kimberly succeeds in making Trini laugh so much that tears leak out of her eyes. 

Kimberly knows Zack will retaliate, but she can't help but think that it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was a lil more "introspective" (is that what it's called?) than im used to writing. i hope kim's thougts weren't too scattered or confusing. im just trying something new. God, writing in english is hard.


	7. I Just Can't Help Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kimberly tries to find a way to sweep Trini off her feet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. writing block's a bitch
> 
> happy thanksgiving to my american readers btw. my granpa who lived in america wants to celebrate it, too, so hey. guess i get to suffer with all of you, too
> 
> chapter title is from "Not Fall In Love with You" from RWBY ost

Kimberly watches as another petal wilts away from the rose Rita gave her all those years ago. She braces herself before familiar waves of pain pass her body, making her crumple to the ground and grip one of her bed posts. It's been happening for years, ever since the curse was cast, but Kimberly never managed to get used to the feeling of having the life drained out of her.

"Take good care of it, girl," Rita's voice echoes in her mind. "It's your life now."

Kimberly only understood what Rita meant after the third petal fell from the flower. She would experience pain whenever it happened, lasting longer and becoming more unbearable whenever it happens again. The boys never experienced the same thing throughout the years and Kimberly is extremely grateful. If occassional pain were the only thing they could feel, it would break Kimberly's heart.

Only more than a handful of petals are left, and Kimberly can more than guess what would happen when it runs out. She doesn't know whether the boys would meet the same fate and she isn't sure whether she wants one or the other to happen.

She couldn't help the grunt that escapes her. There's the sound of splintering wood from where her claws are buried. Her tail hits something as she writhes on the floor. When she hears something shatter, she becomes sure that she just destroyed her mirror. 

When the last pulses of it ebbs away, she's left heaving on the floor. She would probably be sweating buckets right now if she still could.

"Princess? Are you okay?"

Kimberly's eyes immediately fly open at the sound of Trini's voice. She tries to stand up as quickly as she can, but her body is still screaming from the memory of what it just went through.

"Yeah," she croaks out. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I heard something shatter."

"That was my mirror. I hit it with my tail. Accidently."

"You accidentally hit it with your tail," Trini flatly repeats. "Why the hell - you know what? I'm not gonna bother asking." She lightly hits Kimberly's door from the other side. "Just let me in. I want to see for myself if you're hurt by shards or not."

Kimberly sighs. She finally manages to get up and unlock her door. Trini's frustrated but worried face greets her and immediately Kimberly feels a little bit of what was drained from her body come back to her.

"See?" Kimberly spreads her arms. "Totally fine."

Trini's eyes narrow as they inspect her body for anything wrong. When she deems her okay, her attention transfers to the state of her room.

"You might be but your room's even more of a mess compared to last time. What the hell happened here?"

"What are you talking about?" Kimberly feigns ignorance. "There's nothing wrong here."

"Your bed's falling apart, clothes are strewn everywhere, and your vanity's broken."

"Yeah. So?"

Trini blinks. Then she lets out a bemused laugh. "Unbeliavable."

"W-Why are you even here anyway?" Kimberly asks just to change the subject. "It's the middle of the night. Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

"I couldn't fall asleep, so I went here and..." Trini trails off as her gaze falls to the ground. Her ears turn an adorable shade of red while her brows furrow. "I... you're right. I should be asleep. I shouldn't bother you."

She quickly turns as she mutters her apology. But Kimberly's hand shoots out to grab her wrist. Though it was loose, it was enough to stop Trini.

"You came to see me?"

Kimberly couldn't help the excitement and glee in her voice. It was almost shameful. But it seems Trini didn't notice because she was too busy being embarassed herself.

"Yeah... I-I don't know why. I know we aren't that close. And you probably don't even like me."

Yes, they aren't that close. At least not as much as Kimberly or Trini is with the boys. Kimberly has been spending time with all of them, gradually taking steps to take down the wall she'd built around herself. But aside from that moment they had at the gazebo, they don't spend time alone together.

But Trini's last statement, uttered much too quickly, is what catches Kimberly's attention.

"I don't dislike you," she says suddenly. She's well aware that she's still holding Trini's wrist in her hand, but moments of impulse like these have always won against her bashfulness. She finds herself taking a step closer, staring deep into Trini's brown eyes. "My feelings for you are far from that."

"Oh," Trini eloquently says in return. "Well. That's a relief then. I don't dislike you either, Princess."

Kimberly sighs as she finally lets go. Though she knows that she didn't explicitly admit that her feelings for her aren't exactly platonic, she likes to think that she could have gotten a better reaction than a simple "oh" of relief. 

"So will you stay?" Kimberly asks. "You came here anyway. And I don't really want to be left alone."

Her body still aches and having company will help her get her mind off of it. And well, she just really doesn't want her to leave.

Trini gives her a doubtful look. "Are you sure?" She looks around at the mess Kimberly calls her room. "Maybe we should clean up first."

Kimberly rolls her eyes and goes to open the door to her balcony. "We can stay here. The moon and stars look wonderful tonight."

The open balcony lets a cold breeze inside the room and Trini shivers.

"Oh, shit," Kimberly curses and hastily closes the door. "I forgot you get cold."

Trini holds up a hand to stop Kimberly from completely closing it. "No it's okay. Let me just borrow one of your blankets."

Kimberly offers her wings for warmth again but Trini politely declines with tinted cheeks.

Soon they find themselves leaning against the railing of the balcony, with Trini bundled inside Kimberly's thickest blanket. The other girl has her head tilted upwards, no doubt trying to locate each and every constellation she knows of. She starts saying something, but Kimberly isn't quite sure as her attention has long strayed off.

Kimberly's eyes are on Trini's face, where the light of the moon perfectly illuminates the lines of her features. How has she only now noticed that Trini has a mole near her right eye?

When Trini's own eyes turn to her as she speaks, Kimberly, still dazed, catches the tail end of Trini's question.

"... beautiful?"

"You are."

Kimberly's pulled out of her haze when Trini's expression of wonder gets replaced by confusion. "Huh?"

"Right!" Kimberly blurts out. "You are absolutely right!"

Relief washes over Kimberly when Trini smiles again and looks back up. She has absolutely no idea what she just agreed to but she's glad it's somehow the correct response.

Okay, no more (night time) day dreaming, then.

"So, um..." Kimberly clears her throat in an attempt to get her composure back. Small talk can help stop her from fantasizing about the girl literally standing next to her. "Why _did_ you come here? The boys are awake somewhere in the castle."

Trini only glances at her once before quickly looking away. Kimberly might think she even looks shy. "I don't know. I don't usually do stuff like this."

"Like what?"

She shrugs. "Approaching people first." She laughs shortly. "I usually let people come to me. I guess I just wanted to hang out with another girl for once."

Trini must have realized that she said something wrong, because she hastily adds, "Not because I told you I was interested in women or anything," with a red face.

Kimberly finds herself smiling, deciding that flustered is a good look on Trini's face. "What _did_ you mean, then?"

Trini runs a hand through her slightly sleep-tossed hair. "You're probably the only girl I've ever become friends with. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do." The red in her face comes back before it even finished going away. Trini must feel it, because she pulls her blanket up until the tip of her nose to hide herself. "I guess I just wanted to spend time with you."

It was an incredibly quiet admission, made less audible by the blanket muffling her voice. Trini probably didn't mean for Kimberly to hear it, but she _did_. Her ears twitch when she does, and she's pretty sure her tail is wagging right now.

"You wanted to spend time with me?" 

Trini's eyes widen and and Kimberly snickers when she hears her curse under her breath. Trini scowls and somehow hides even more of her face from view. "Don't look so damn smug about it."

"I'm not smug. I'm just happy. You called me your friend."

Trini only chooses to look huffy, looking very much like a disgruntled, freezing caterpillar. "I can't believe it. The real you is more insufferable than Zack."

Kimberly can only look endearingly at Trini's appearance. "So... still don't want my wing?"

Trini looks from Kimberly's open wing to her face. She huffs once, fog coming out of her nose, before she quietly shifts to Kimberly's side. She immediately relaxes when the wing wraps itself around her.

"Am I still more insufferable than Zack?" she cheekily asks.

Trini hums. "I guess you're not too bad, Princess."

Silence takes over, and neither of them bother to break the comfort of it. Kimberly's eyes fall on Trini again. The other girl has her eyes closed. If they weren't standing, Kimberly would have thought she was sleeping.

"Thank you," Trini says suddenly.

"It's no problem. I was the one who said we should stay here."

Trini snorts. "That's because your room's a mess."

Kimberly groans. "Will you please let it go already? I'll clean tomorrow."

Trini shakes her head but she's smiling. "But I meant thanks for everything. For saving me. When you found me, I was prepared to die. I... I didn't want to live anymore. But then you brought me here. You and the boys welcomed me and gave me a home." She smiles wryly. "Now living doesn't sound like a terrible idea."

She faces Kimberly, gives a proper smile that takes Kimberly's breath away. "I have no idea how to thank you for that."

For a moment, Kimberly could only blink back at the sight before her. It occurs to her that, had she been just a few moments too late, she wouldn't have been able to save this girl. This bold, intelligent, and kind girl who has saved Kimberly in ways Trini doesn't even realize.

After Kimberly realized that the curse that had made her this way would some day kill her, she was relieved. There was a designated time limit to her suffering, and she was more than ready to welcome it when it comes. 

But then this girl came into their lives. She spent time with the boys and pulled Kimberly out of the shadows. She made them feel human again. Trini said that they gave her a home, but she was the one that made the castle _feel_ like home. 

"You've already done so much for us," Kimberly says. "Believe me."

Right now, with Trini pressed up against her side, living doesn't seem so terrible for Kimberly anymore either.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

"I need your help."

Jason, Zack, and Billy exchange glances with each other as they sit on the edge of Kimberly's bed.

Zack is the one who teasingly says, "Help with what, exactly. _Princess_?"

Kimberly can feel her face heat up. Trini's the only one who has called her that ever since the curse was cast. She never even called her by her name, now that she thinks about it.

"You _know_ what, Zack."

"Yeah, but I want to hear you say it."

Kimberly sighs. "I need you to help me... _woo_ Trini."

Zack whoops, Billy claps, and Jason silently crosses his arms but Kimberly _knows_ he's smiling.

Kimberly rolls her eyes at their excitement, but she's grateful for their support. Though they hope that "true love" can lift the curse, she knows that they would support her regardless.

"So... what do I do?"

Billy tilts his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

Kimberly seats herself heavily on one of the lone chairs in her room. "How am I supposed to court her? I've never courted anyone before. I'm usually on the receiving end of it."

"Really?" Zack says curiously. "Even with Amanda?"

Kimberly gives him a pointed look. "Please. I don't want to be reminded of those times."

All three boys nod in understanding and agreement.

"You know, when I imagined strategizing with Kimberly as her knights, I never would have expected it to be how to capture a lady's heart," Billy says.

"Should we get a round table?" Zack asks.

"Okay," Jason says before they stray too far from their objective. "How about you try a charming smile first? Nothing like a nice smile to make a lady swoon."

Kimberly nods. "Okay. Smile. Yeah, I can do that. "

She straightens her back from where she's seated. She stretches her mouth as wide as she can, making her eyes squint with the effort.

What she doesn't realize is that the action has managed to show off most of her dangerously sharp teeth, her squinted eyes making her look like she has spotted a particularly tasty prey.

"How's this?"

Billy visibly flinches. He tries to hide it, but he was too late. Kimberly notices. 

When they see her "smile" fall away, Jason says, "it's such a... _killer_ smile."

Kimberly isn't uplifted by his attempt, so Zack adds, "Brilliant. What a panty-dropper," with both of his thumbs raised.

Kimberly leans back against her chair as she groans. "This is hopeless. How the hell am I supposed to impress Trini?"

Billy then suddenly shoots up from where he was seated on Kimberly's bed.

"I'll be back!" he says before dashing out of her chamber.

"What was that about?" Kimberly asks with her thumb pointed at her door.

Jason merely shrugs. "You know him. Whenever he thinks of something he can't help but fixate on it. He'll be back. Just let him do his thing."

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Zack says. "Now back to romancing Trini."

Kimberly blinks. "Right." She shuffles in her seat, just so she has something to do. "You guys've had women fawn over you, right? How did _that_ happen?"

Zack's head suddenly jerks at her delivery, indignant. "No need to sound so bewildered, Kimmy. It's not that unbelievable."

"Yeah, whatever. So how?"

Zack shrugs. "Girls like men who are good at fighting, I guess."

"Oh yeah. Women started noticing us when we became knights."

"Plus we had pretty faces," Zack cockily says. 

"Okay," Kimberly says as she absorbs that information. "No problem. I'm pretty good, too. I'm not... conventionally good-looking anymore, but I'm still a good fighter. And an amazing archer."

"Great! 'Guess all you gotta do is shoot someone and she'll be running into your arms," Zack says before Jason backhands him.

But Kimberly makes a slight grimace. "That... doesn't sound romantic at all."

Jason picks at his red scarf. "Well... we know nothing about _romancing_ women."

Kimberly's face falls into her hands. "You guys are useless."

"Okay, well, maybe shooting someone isn't something we can do," Zack says. "We can still show off your skills, though."

Kimberly exchanges a glance with Jason before staring back at a scheming Zack.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

Zack didn't tell Kimberly what his plan was. He said it was better if she didn't know. Kimberly rolls her eyes at his flare for dramatics as she walks the familiar path to Beefcake's stall.Trini is attempting to feed him carrots. Kimberly couldn't help but smile when she's finally of earshot of the other girl.

"Oh, wow. You _really_ like carrots, huh? If only Gabby liked them as much as you do. You think he'll grow out of it?"

"I don't think age has anything to do with it. Jason never liked carrots either."

Trini jumps with a barely audible squeak. Kimberly is giggling at the sound when Trini turns to her with a weak glare. 

Trini throws the carrot's leaf at her. "Not funny, Princess."

"Sorry, it's just... the sound you made was really cute."

Trini's face turns even redder than it already was from the cold. "I did no such thing," she huffs. She points the half-eaten carrot at Beefcake. "He did it." Not expecting Beefcake to snatch the carrot from her hand with his tongue, she squeaks again. "No. _Don't_."

Zack and Jason choose that moment to arrive. It's a good thing, too, because she doesn't think she could manage what Trini wanted and not laugh.

"Pleasant morning, m'ladies!"

"Zack?" Trini adorably tilts her head to the side as she glances at what Zack is carrying. "Is that a bow?"

"And some arrows," Jason adds, holding out a quiver full of them.

That's when Kimberly realizes what the boys want her to do. She's always taken pride in her archery. Her constant improvement was one of the few things that caught her mother's attention. Amanda never cared for it and Tyler didn't like that she was better than him. She can only hope that a girl like Trini would appreciate her skills.

"What's all that for, though?" Trini asks.

"Well..." Zack starts speaking with all the tone of someone who has a hidden agenda. "We know that since Kimmy here started living the life of a hermit, she might not have been practicing archery all that much. So..." he offers the bow to Kimberly and Jason does the same. "How about we take out the rust, eh?"

Kimberly smirks, crossing her arms as she takes on a cocky stance. "You've said once before that I won't be able to throw a snowball properly and I've proven you wrong. There's no rust and I'll prove that, too."

Zack's helmet cocks to the side. "I've said what now?"

Trini, who has been watching the exchange with curious amusement, suddenly widens her eyes in what looks like panic. "H-Hey, I wanna see how well you really shoot, too, Princess. Come on!"

The butterflies in Kimberly's stomach were enough to distract her from the strange behavior. "Oh! Really? Alright, then." She confidently smirks at the boys. "Where are my targets?"

Zack's idea of showing off, apparently, is placing an apple on the top of his helmet and letting Kimberly hit it. 

"This is so lame," Kimberly hisses as she struggles to balance the apple ontop of his helmet.

"But isn't this bit always exciting? The need to hit the target while also avoiding the person's head?"

"You're made of metal, Zack. There are no consequences in this scenario."

Zack hums. "You're right. You think Trini can balance an apple on her head?"

Kimberly's eyes widen. "Fuck no!"

"Awe, don't underestimate Crazy Girl -"

"No! I am _not_ shooting an arrow anywhere near Trini's head! No matter how confident I am of my skills!"

"Hey!" Trini's voice makes Zack lose balance and the apple fall. Trini already looks bored, and Kimberly can feel nerves and shame replace her confidence. "Is this gonna take long?" She looks around the frosted field. "By the way, where's Billy?"

Zack raises his pointer finger but then reconsiders and drops his hand. "I actually don't know."

Kimberly scratches her head. "I don't either."

Trini's frown deepens and Kimberly's heart sinks.

"Don't worry, Trini," Jason says. "Sometimes when he gets too in his head, he'll disappear for a while and do his thing. He'll come back."

"Yeah, yeah," Zack cheers. "No worries. Now, let's not kid ourselves. We're never gonna balance this on my head. So, I'll just do this!"

"This" happens to be lobbing the apple high in the air. Now, Kimberly wasn't sure what came over her. It must have been some mixture of longing to shoot again and her desire to impress Trini. She looks at the red fruit flying in the air with her heightened eye sight, seeing it as clear as if it were floating just in front of her. 

It all happens in slow motion. She takes a deep breath and holds the bow out in front of her. She pulls back on the bow's string, arrow pointed at the falling apple. Then she lets go of her breath and arrow simultaneously.

"Holy shit!"

Kimberly blinks at Zack's voice and suddenly the world is spinning normally again. She holds out her hand to catch the apple, arrow embedded through the core.

"Holy shit!" Zack once again exclaims with mirth. He's so overjoyed that he's holding his helmet two inches above his body.

Kimberly beams at the reaction. She turns at the sound of Jason clapping. Trini is beside him with wide eyes. The other girl isn't very expressive, that much Kimberly has come to learn. But with the sight of Trini's mouth agape and her eyes wide with stars in them? Well...

... her ego may be more than just a little bit stroked.

"See that?" Kimberly even throws the apple to Jason who barely catches it. "Cool, huh?"

Trini grins and gives a rapid nod of her head. "It was amazing! Do it again!"

Kimberly smirks, accepting the challenge. "No problem."

"Uh... _yes_ problem," Jason says. "This is our last apple."

"What?" Kimberly pouts. What kind of princess only has one appple in her castle?

Oh, right. The cursed kind.

Trini rolls her eyes and crouches to gather snow into her hands. "We don't need apples." She balls up the snow between her hands and looks at Kimberly with a challenging glimmer in her eyes. "Think you can handle a target that isn't bright red, Princess?"

Kimberly beams and readies another arrow into her bow. "Let's see," is her simple reply. Because she honestly isn't sure whether she can.

She can, apparently. Trini, Zack, and Jason team up throwing the snowballs as far as they can. Kimberly manages to hit most of them. At one point she tries shooting more than one arrow at once, but couldn't quite manage it because of her claws.

"I guess you should trim those claws if you want to manage that again," Jason says.

"If they stay long and sharp, you won't be able to do more fun things, either," Zack adds. Kimberly can almost see the eyehole in his helmet winking.

Without blinking, Kimberly uses her huge wings to produce a gust strong enough to make Zack's armor scatter to pieces into the snow. The source of his shriek becomes difficult to pinpoint, and so does his laughter that quickly follows it.

"You are such an idiot," Jason mumbles with a shake of his head. Whether he means Zack or Kimberly remains to be seen.

The two girls simply watch with amusement as Zack tries to guide Jason to the pieces of his body.

"What was that for?" Trini asks, laughter evident in her voice.

"Insulting my archery skills earlier," Kimberly lies.

Trini's laughter turns awkward. "Hah, right. That really was amazing, though, Princess." Kimberly couldn't even stop her ears from twitching or her tail from wagging at the added praise. "I've only ever read about archers like Robin Hood in the books I've borrowed." She steps closer to look at the bow up close. "It's so much better than I imagined."

Kimberly can see Trini's hesitance, so she asks, "Do you want to try?"

"Huh? Uh... I don't know..." she says but there's a spark in her eyes that betrays her.

"Nonsense!" Kimberly assures. She gives her bow and an arrow to Trini and points at the tree nearest to them. "How about you just try shooting that tree? Come on."

It only takes Trini a moment of considering the weapon in her hand before she nods determinedly. She tries to copy what Kimberly did and positions the arrow. She stretches the string with difficulty, her arms shaking at the effort.

Kimberly smirks. "Harder than it looks, huh?"

Trini grunts before giving up. "Stop looking so smug about it."

Kimberly laughs. She boldly steps behind Trini and helps her with the bowstring. She hears a heartbeat pick up. With how loud it is, Kimberly assumes it must be her own. She focuses on guiding Trini's aim. 

"Just relax," she says despite her own lack of composure due to their proximity. If she were to lean a little lower, her mouth would be brushing Trini's ear. 

Trini exhales slowly as she lets go of the arrow. The umistakable thunk of the arrow penetrating the bark has Trini jumping.

"Oh my god!" Trini exclaims. She turns her gaze to Kimberly with stars in her eyes. "Did you see that? I hit it!"

Kimberly could only nod. Trini has gripped the front of her blouse in her excitement. She's tongue-tied even as Trini separates herself from Kimberly to retrieve the arrow she shot. 

"Let's do it again," Trini says with an excitement Kimberly doesn't expect. Mostly because she's never seen Trini look so ecstatic before.

Trini had difficulty shooting on her own for a while, but Kimberly was more than happy to help. At some point they made snowmen with targets drawn on the stomachs and made a competetion of the whole thing. The boys lost, and Zack will forever claim that they did so on purpose so that Kimberly could look cool in front of Trini.

Kimberly has never seen Trini look as overjoyed as when she first successfully shot a snowman on her own. She's a little bit downtrodden by the fact that _she_ may have been the one wooed instead by the sight of Trini's blinding smile.

But just a little bit.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

"Hey, guys," Billy greets them when he's finally back from wherever it is he wandered off to. "I finally - what happened?"

Trini's retreated to her room for the night. Jason and Zack stayed with Kimberly in her room to come up with more ways to sweep Trini off her feet but their brainstorming mostly consisted of Zack's outrageous ideas being turned down. 

"Nothing," Kimberly says from where she's sprawled on her bed. "Where have _you_ been all day?"

"Oh!" Billy holds up an old key. "I was all over the castle trying to find this."

Jason takes the key from Billy to get a better look at it. "What's it for?"

"For opening doors."

"Yeah, Jason," Zack teasingly says. "Don't you know what keys are for?"

Kimberly rolls her eyes. " _Which_ door?"

Billy jumps a bit in place. "The castle's archive. I don't know much about _women_ , but I do know Trini. And I know she'd be thrilled if we cleaned up that room and gave it to her or something. Some of the important records and documents were taken when the castle was emptied, but the literary works were left alone. I thought Trini would like them."

Suddenly Kimberly is gripping Billy's shoulders. "Billy, you're a genius! Oh my god. Can I please hug you?"

He shrugs. "Okay."

So she does.

"Honestly it's a little stupid that we didn't think of that," Zack says.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

Cleaning the archive without Trini noticing was a little difficult given she lives in the castle. They decided doing so during night time while Trini's asleep would be best, but cleaning in the dark isn't exactly ideal. So Jason came up with a plan to keep Trini out of the castle for the day while they finish with the room.

As they periodically do, Jason and Zack are going to the closest market to buy more food and other necessities for the girls and the animals. The others are surprised when Jason suddenly suggests Trini accompany him instead.

"You want me to come with you?"

"What?" Zack pipes up. "But Jas-"

"While Trini and I go shopping," Jason interrupts, "you guys finish cleaning that room."

"But -"

"Great idea!" Billy interrupts Zack this time. "Don't worry, Trini. I'll make sure Zack doesn't slack off."

While Zack argues that it would be better that Trini stays, Kimberly remains quiet. Letting Trini accompany Jason to the market to buy more supplies would be the best way to distract her, but Kimberly didn't like the idea of Trini going outside. Trini may have said that she has no where else to go, but Kimberly is still afraid that she would come to realize that travelling like she always did is actually better than being trapped in this dark and gloomy castle. She's afraid that Trini would leave them.

But she keeps these thoughts to herself. If she spoke against it, she'll be exactly what Rita said she was; a shackle.

They wait as Trini thinks it over. Jason already has Beefcake ready and saddled to a wagon for the trip. They were supposed to see him and Zack off. Trini takes one long look at the cow before she nods.

"Okay," Trini finally says. "I'm sure my family's moved on to another kingdom by now. I doubt I'd run into them." 

Though she says that, Kimberly has a feeling that there's a small part of herself that wants to see her family. Or at least her brothers. 

"But they could still be here," Kimberly finds herself saying. She takes a moment to study Trini's face, looking at the mixture of doubt, concern, and hope in her face. Then she adds, "which is why you should definitely come. You might still be able to see them."

Kimberly can feel the boys' worried glances. It's a good thing that Trini can't see their expressions right now. The other girl bites her lip before she gives them a tight smile. 

"Just let me go fetch my coat."

"Jason!" Zack hisses once Trini is back inside the castle. "Why did you suggest that?"

"I thought it was obvious. While we're away, you guys can finish cleaning the archive."

"I knew that! I just don't like this plan!"

"Do you hate cleaning that much?" Billy asks.

"No!" After a moment, he adds, "Well, yes, but that's not the point. We can't let Trini out of the castle! What if she never comes back?"

"That's ridiculous," Jason says. But Kimberly can hear a faint strain in his voice. "She won't just leave us after a quick trip to the market. Billy, you agree with me, right?"

"Definitely. I want to be human again, too. But we can't stop Trini from going outside. She always denies it... but I'm sure Trini wants to see her family."

Zack makes a sound as if he's sighing in defeat. "I still don't like this."

"Don't like what?" they hear Trini's voice say. 

"Cleaning," Zack says. Then he envelopes Trini in a crushing embrace. "Don't get separated from Jason, Crazy Girl. I know your shoddy sense of direction won't guide you home."

"My sense of direction is _fine_!"

"You got lost in the castle multiple times," Billy says.

Trini doesn't dignify that with a reply. "Let go of me, you metal oaf. You're freezing!"

When he finally releases her, Trini's eyes land on Kimberly. "Do you want me to bring back anything, Princess?"

Despite the heavy feeling in her stomach, those brown eyes make Kimberly smile. "Just yourself." When she hears Jason and Zack snort, she adds, "or maybe a new mirror. Since I broke mine."

Trini clears her throat for some reason. "Right." She pulls her cloaks hoodie over her head and climbs into the wagon with Jason. "Billy, make sure Zack doesn't slack off."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jason adjusts Beefcake's reins. "Zack, don't make Billy's job harder for him."

Zack dismissively waves a hand. "Sure thing, boss."

Jason shakes his head at Zack before commanding Beefcake to start moving. Though it's amusing to see a knight driving a rickety wagon being pulled by cow, Kimberly can't make herself smile. She just can't shake this bad feeling at the sight of Trini leaving.

"And there they go," Zack says, taking a seat at the bottom steps of the castle's entrance.

"Sorry, Zack," Billy says. "We aren't even completely sure that Trini can help us break the spell. We can't just keep her locked in here on a hunch."

"It's not just that..."

Kimberly and Billy exchange a look. After years of friendship, they've come to learn what this kind of behavior from Zack means.

"Trini isn't your father, Zack," Kimberly finds herself saying. "Even if she decides to leave someday, I'm sure she'll come back to visit."

Kimberly is afraid of Trini leaving as much as Zack is. They grew up with the kind of loneliness felt from being abandoned by people who are supposed to be the constant in your life. Jason got the chance to train under his father and Billy helped his mother while she cooked in the castle. Meanwhile, Kimberly had to compete with a kingdom's worth of people for her parent's attention. Zack's mother was busy earning enough money to support them without his father until she eventually succumbed to her illness.

Though she hates the idea of Trini no longer wishing to stay in their castle, Kimberly truly believes that she won't just forget about them. Trini may not make the widest of smiles, but there's adoration in her eyes for the boys that almost makes Kimberly ache.

"Yeah," Zack eventually says. "You're right." He rubs the back of his head. "Got a little edgy there, didn't I? Whew! Ah well, let's better hope Trini doesn't run into Tommy Oliver or something like that."

It was just an offhanded joke, but Kimberly's ears twitch at the name. No, no, the Olivers' manor is far from the town they're headed to. But the land is still owned by them. There may not be a high probability that Tommy Oliver would be there, in a market, of all places, but it's not impossible.

Kimberly's wings unfold without her even fully realizing it.

"Uh... Kim?" Billy's uncertain voice interrupts her swirling thoughts. "Where are you going?"

"To the market." She sees Zack stand abruptly and could swear she can see his helmet beaming. "Not... Not to drag Trini back or anything. I just want to make sure they're safe."

"From arrogant men with ponytails?" Zack is definitely smirking. "Don't worry. We won't tell that you bailed on cleaning duties."

"Wait, wait. Kim, you have to think about this. What if someone sees you?"

"They won't. I won't actually stroll up to the market. I'll hide somewhere near and keep an eye on them. I'll be careful."

"Kim..."

"Even if I can't convince you, I'll go anyway. Tommy isn't a terrible person, but I know how obliviously stubborn he can be. And Trini... she doesn't want that kind of life."

"If Jason finds out, I won't defend you."

Kimberly laughs. "I know. You're always on each others' side." She pats him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I don't mean that as a bad thing."

She doesn't wait for whatever his reply might be. She takes off and lets her wings carry her to her destination. In the air she can feel the nerves and anxiety settle in her stomach. She's never truly left her castle, not since the curse was cast. She may not be the ruler of this kingdom anymore, but there's this sense of failure that looms over her when she thinks about the people that were meant to rely on her.

She shakes the heavy feeling off. She can't change the past. Her own soldiers were the ones who drew their weapons at her. Right now she needs to protect the only person who apologised for calling her a monster.

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

Kimberly's extremely lucky that the forest surrounding the market place had many thick trees. With the winter season coming meant the leaves of the trees wilting. She can't come truly close to the market, but her heightened eyesight helps her keep Trini within her sights. It seems Jason volunteered himself to venture the inner parts of the market because he left Trini to keep watch of Beefcake. When Trini starts inspecting a few merchandises from a nearby stand, Kimberly turns to lean back against the tree she's hiding behind.

"What am I doing?" she asks to nobody in particular.

She just left the safety of her castle and endangered herself after simply hearing the name of the man who wanted to court Trini. It only now dawns on her how much she's risking out of petty jealousy and paranoia.

She looks up at the pale blue sky and watches the first snowflake of the day into her palm. It doesn't survive, melting away as soon as it touches her skin.

Her ears twitch when they catch the the sound of someone stepping in snow, someone very close. 

"Will you look at that. The dragon finally came out of her cave."

Kimberly's body never felt cold ever since dark magic changed it. But hearing that sickeningly sweet voice makes chills run up her spine. 

Just when she starts doubting her ears, a cloaked woman steps into view. She pulls the hood off her head and reveals the same green eyes that haunts Kimberly's dreams.

"Long time no see, dear princess," she greets with a mocking curtsy. Her eyes drag up Kimberly's form as she straightens herself. She smiles, revealing her golden fangs that Kimberly failed to notice before. "I see you've gotten used to your body. You're smaller now. Ah. At the very least... enough to wear clothes."

"You..." Kimberly growls out and the animalistic sound almost terrifies her. She's suddenly very aware of her sharp claws and teeth. It would be so easy to rip out the wench's throat.

But then Rita holds at a finger and wags it. "Uh-uh. So many people in this place. A lot of them, surely armed. You wouldn't want to cause a scene and have them noticing a _dragon_."

Kimberly growls even more. But she musters as much self-control as she could to stop herself from charging at Rita. The witch is right and it makes her even more furious that she can't do the one thing she's wanted to do for years. So instead, she asks, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know." She gestures at the busy market. "A woman's gotta earn money _somehow_. So, I sold some old trinkets I don't use. Like that one thing I stole from a friend. Petty old thing, that woman, couldn't even handle knowing a child who's - what is it she said? 'Fairer' than her."

"Yeah, great story. Why are you _really_ here, hag?"

Rita scoffs. "Oh, please. I'm no hag. Well, not since the last time we met."

That's when Kimberly truly takes in Rita's appearance. She's different. Her her hair is no longer graying but is now a rich raven color. Her face less bony and more... youthful.

"You've become younger."

Rita fakes an expression of flattery. "Oh thank you for noticing."

"The roses. You said they were ingredients. It was for some kind of potion or spell to make yourself younger wasn't it?" Her eyes widen in realization. "What about this curse? Is there a purpose, too? Once it's over, that rose you tethered to me will be an ingredient, too won't it?!"

Rita's only reply is another golden smile. "Hey, princess. While you've been catching up with me, were you aware your friend was talking with a friend of her own?"

Kimberly's attention turns back to the market. She doesn't even care that turning her back on a witch like Rita leaves herself vulnerable. Another kind of anger boils within her when she sees a man forcefully grabbing Trini by the arm. Kimberly doesn't know him. Only knows that he has flaming red hair and that she has the same color bulding up in her belly that she would gladly show him.

"Oh my," Rita's voice catches her attention. "Maybe they're not friends after all."

Kimberly turns one last time to look for the witch, but she only catches sight of a puff of green smoke that soon disappears. She growls. Her ears twitch when they hear the sound of Trini's distressed voice. When she sees the man shove Trini to the ground, the self-control Kimberly managed to hold on to in Rita's presence dissolves.

A familiar burning sensation covers her body, her bones ache as they start expanding. Her clothes tear when it can no longer cover her body.

When she hears a deafening roar, she almost doesn't notice that it's hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter's back to trini's pov
> 
> comments are very much appreciated :D


	8. A Whisper to A Roar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for their past to catch up to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title is from the song "Armed and Ready" from the RWBY OST
> 
> yoooo i waited a long time to finally get to this chapter. this is when things start to pick up. hope you all like it

Trini only vaguely remembers her extended family and the home she came from. She remembers colorful dresses, lively music, and men and women who look like her dancing in such captivating ways. Those were the memories she treasured. 

Then there's her grandmother screaming at June, her aunts and uncles looking on in disgust, luggages filled with their clothes thrust upon them by the family that was supposed to care for them. Trini isn't fond of those memories, but she holds them close to her heart still. She dares not forget, those especially. Doing so helps convice herself that her mother cared about her even the tiniest bit. Because she didn't have to bring Trini with her. Not when Trini was the daughter of the man June didn't even love. Not when June was already pregnant with children of the man who truly owned her heart. 

Knowing the hardships her mother went through to keep her was what kept younger Trini going. Because if her mother was willing to do all those things, then she was willing to go to every strange land their small unwanted family ended up in. June, and soon Antonio and the twins, were her home, and she followed it wherever it went.

Books helped Trini learn the language and understand the culture of the new land they fled to. And soon, they were what made the journeys bearable. Reading about heroes going on magical adventures made her think that she was on an adventure herself. It made not having a home to come back to _fun_ and as magical as her imagination could manage. It made her life seem less like a banishment and more like an endless adventure. 

Then years passed and realized that the world is a cruel place that didn't have heroes to come to your rescue. Stories became a place to escape the harsh realities of discrimination, poverty, and hunger. You learn to save yourself from villains of every shape and form.

She doesn't remember why, but she recalls telling June that she wanted to be like the heroes in her stories. To defeat the beast and save the princess. June laughed and told her that she's supposed to want to _be_ the princess. Young Trini shook her head then and said, "I can't marry the princess if I'm not the hero."

That was her first mistake. Her relationship with her mother gradually changed when June realized that Trini was serious. 

When Trini was twelve, there was a village that they stayed in for an unsually long period of time. Business was good there and the citizens respected them. They probably would have permanently stayed if it wasn't for that one girl who made Trini's palms sweat and her face heat up. She no longer remembers her face, only that she was around two years older than Trini. 

She was a strange girl. She never bought anything, saying that she already had everything she could want at home. Going to the marketplace was just something fun for her to do. Trini didn't understand her reasoning, but she didn't question it. The amount of time the girl stayed by their cart would always be brief, but talking to her always made Trini extremely happy.

At the time, Trini wasn't sure what she did wrong. Maybe it was how much she liked talking about the girl to her parents, or the fact that Trini gets distracted by someone that doesn't even buy from them, or how happy she was when she once called Trini pretty. It was probably all of the above, because soon June convinced Antonio to move on to another village. 

Trini eventually realized that the girl was the first person she fell for. Her mother undoubtedly noticed before her younger self even understood her own feelings. 

That was the start of the loud arguments and the tense silences. A rift formed between her and June, something Antonio and the twins were barely able to bridge together. Her home was slowly crumbling apart. 

But June never expressed that she wanted Trini to leave. She loves her daughter, she said. But Trini isn't sure how true that statement is. 

It's so strange how family can claim to love you when they hate who you are.

Trini hoped that the love would overcome the hate. The same kind June had when she brought Trini with her when she was seven. But she supposes her mother finally realized that that was a mistake after her refusal of Tommy's proposal. 

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°°

"We could ask around if anyone saw your family, if you want."

As if anxiously thinking about her family wasn't bad enough, now Jason is prompting her to _talk_ about them. Trini knows it's just his way of trying to help, but it only causes the unpleasant feeling in her stomach to worsen. She tries to smile, but its more than strained look is probably making Jason worry even more. She can tell, even if his only response is silence. So she sighs.

"I didn't really come out here to see them, Jason."

"Are you sure?" he asks and the doubt is clear in his voice. "It's just... you kind of look like you do."

"Oh, really?" she says and can't help the drip of sarcasm in her voice. "What part of my anxious fidgeting and pale face told you that?"

"Exactly those things," he says with a laugh and Trini pouts.

"I'm not... I didn't come out here for that. I don't want to see them."

"Yes, you do," Jason says with confidence that irritates Trini. "You want to see them. But you're scared that they don't want to see you."

Trini sighs. "God, I hate you."

Jason laughs again. "It's okay to admit it. I feel the same way."

Trini frowns. It's not the same because -

"Your family wants to see you, Jason. I know they do. Pearl doesn't even remember much about you but she misses you."

"Yeah, I know. But I can't come back to them. My... _condition_ aside, I can't trust anyone to see Kim. Not even my father." He pauses for a moment. "Especially my father. He's fought monsters all his life. He'll attack her as soon as he sees her. Who knows what they'd do once they discover Zack, Billy, and I are just empty suits of armor?"

"It probably doesn't help that people think the 'dragon' ate the 'princess'," Trini adds.

"Oh yeah. _That_."

Silence takes over, something that isn't uncommon when Trini's in Jason's company. But Trini doesn't find comfort in it as she usually does. The creaking of the cart's wheels as Beefcake takes them to the market isn't enough to distract Trini from her thoughts. So she talks.

"So what's in the list?"

"Huh?"

Trini points at the slip of paper tucked where his belt is tied around his waist. "Let me see. We could split up so we could finish earlier."

"Oh! Um... You don't really have to worry about that. We can take as much time as we need, actually."

Trini quirks a brow. "Alright? I still want to see the list." Both of Trini's brows rise even higher when she reaches for the paper and Jason flinches out of reach. "Jason. I can't help if I don't know what we're going to buy."

"Actually... I was thinking maybe you should leave all the shopping to me. You can stay with Beefcake and stand guard or something."

"I doubt anyone would steal a cow and an old cart."

"Better to be safe than sorry. Beefcake is an important part of our dysfunctional family and no one's taking him."

"Fine." She shoots him an unconvinced look. "But this doesn't mean I'm not suspicious. A cow can't mean _that_ much to you."

"Beefcake and I have a connection," Jason says in a way that almost convinces Trini. "And he knows you love him, too."

When Beefcake chooses that moment to moo as if to agree with Jason, they both laugh. Trini's smile remains long after the moment has passed. 

If Jason asks, she'll say it's because of the cow and not the fact that Jason included her in their "family". 

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

There aren't any vacant stalls available to leave Beefcake in. Trini doesn't have a choice but be left with him by the edge of the market. 

"This place is... pretty lively," Trini comments as she observes the hustle and bustle of the villagers purchasing clothes, trinkets, and other necessesities from the multiple merchants' stands scattered within the open space. "It's bigger than most markets I've seen. And I'm a _merchant's daughter_ so that's saying something."

"Oh yeah," Jason says through a grunt as he finishes tying Beefcake's leesh around a nearby tree. "This village is the trading capital of this land. It gets bigger every other year. Has your family never been here before?"

"I don't think so."

Jason shrugs. "Maybe you just don't remember? This place used to be smaller when I was younger."

"Maybe." 

Jason produces an empty bag and a basket from the cart. He nods his head at her. "Are you gonna be okay here?"

She waves a hand dismissively. "Just go, _mother_." She pats the side of the cow's thick neck. "Beefcake and I will be fine. Just don't forget the princess' mirror."

Jason's head tilts to the side. "You don't have to be shy about calling her by her name."

It's a good thing that ghe cold has already given a tint of pink to her cheeks. "I'm not shy. I'm giving the respect due to _royalty_."

Jason shakes his head with a chuckle before glancing over the stands. "Actually, I think some of the merchants over there are selling some." He hands her a few coins. "You can go buy one for her."

"Wha - but I don't know what she'd like!" she says to Jason's now retreating back.

He replies without looking back at her, "I'm sure she'll like whatever it is you get her!"

Trini is left huffing by Beefcake and their cart, helplessly looking at the coins in her hands. She's never had the luxury of buying something for another person, let alone a _princess_. Sure, Kimberly's cursed with a reptilian body and is living in an abandoned castle, but it doesn't change the fact that Kimberly used to live a luxurious life. Simply buying a mirror for royalty is such a daunting task for a peasant like Trini.

"Any chance you know what kind of mirror to buy for the princess?" she asks Beefcake. The cow responds by swiping his tongue along his nose. She sighs, rubs his fuzzy cheek. "Didn't think so. Thanks anyway."

Beefcake's only reply is a moo and a nudge to her hand but she smiles. So maybe Jason does have a point about this cow being family.

"I'll go check some of those stands for something the princess might want, I'll be right back," she tells him before making her way over to the nearest stand.

Trini's eyes widen at the display before her. Rings, necklaces, pocketwatches... All kinds of trinkets and accessories, all made of _gold_. Or, at least, _appear_ to be gold.

She looks around, but all the other stragglers pay the attractive merchandise no mind. True that you can't be entirely certain of their genuity, not until further inspection, but a display like this should attract a bigger audience than just a girl like Trini.

"See anything you like, m'lady?"

The deep voice of a man from behind Trini makes her jump. He glides into view and into his stall, looking at her with eyes that are a confusing mix of forrest green and dirt brown. 

"Um..." Trini feels an uneasiness come over her, but she can't bring herself to leave like she normally would under similar circumstances. His empty smile is rooting her in place, her perplexity for the aura surrounding this strange man overcoming her instincts that scream for her to run. "I'm curious, actually. Are these all real?"

"Genuine as the ground beneath your feet, m'lady. Are you interested in any of my merchandise?" 

Trini shakes her head. "No, I'm fine." She gives a wry smile. "If they really are genuine, then I don't think I can afford to buy something so expensive."

He nods. "I understand. Not worth the trouble, hm?"

Trini frowns. "No... the pri - Kimberly's worth a million pots of gold and more." She rubs the back of her neck. "I just unfortunately don't have that much. And she only asked for a mirror, anyway."

A spark of interest colors the gentleman's face. He rummages around his stall and continues speaking, "For a special lady, then. Why didn't you say so?"

Trini immediately flushes. "It's not like that! Yeah, Kimberly _is_ special, but she isn't special to _me_. Not - not to say that she means nothing to me. We're friends! I think... I hope so." Her hand covers her flushing face. "Oh, I don't know."

But the man doesn't pay any mind to the tiny meltdown Trini is having. He soon produces a mirror from one of the many boxes in his stall. "How about this?"

With the back facing Trini, she can see the beautful intricate designs covering it. Only the edge of the oval mirror and the rim of its handle is plated with gold, with a green gem at the center of its mostly flat surface. 

"It's beautiful," Trini truthfully says.

The stretch of the man's smile widens. "Its original owner used it to view whatever it is she wished for." When Trini quirks a doubtful brow, he says, "Let me show you." He briefly clears his throat. "Mirror, mirror, show this lady the fairest of them all." Nothing magical really happens. He just turns the mirror so it faces Trini, her own face reflected back at her. "See? It works perfectly."

Trini smirks and props a hand on her hip. "Smooth sales pitch." She looks at the mirror again, looking at her own thoughtful expression. "How much is it?"

He stretches his hands toward her, mirror resting on his open palms. "You can have it for free, m'lady."

Trini blinks in surprise, but warily takes the mirror anyway. Having had a life like hers, Trini has learned to not take free things for granted. But she also learned to make sure that there aren't any troublesome consequences.

"You're really just going to give it to me?"

"Absolutely. My sister was just going to throw it away anyway. I only really ask for one thing in return."

Trini refrains from rolling her eyes and takes the mirror instead. "Of course you do. What is it?"

"An interesting story by the end of winter." He gestures to his merchandise. "I've always thought stories to be more valuable than any treasure."

Trini's brows furrow. "I don't think I completely understand."

She hears Beefcake make a distressed sound then, tearing her eyes away from the merchant. The cow is uncharacteristically restless, his head jerking every which way in what seems to be an attempt to free himself of his leash.

"That's strange," she muses to herself. "I have to go check on my cow. Thank you for..." she trails off, left to stare confused at an unmanned stand.

He must have left when Trini was distracted by Beefcake. The stand is already absent of the man's presence when she turns back to him. She looks around once more. It's reckless that the man leaves his merchandise unattended, but still no one spares the stand even a single look. She sighs and safely tucks the mirror in her satchel before hurrying to Beefcake's side. Keeping an eye on valuable merchandise is no longer her job anyway.

"Hey, hey," she soothingly says to Beefcake, her palm softly caressing the fur on the cow's neck. "It's okay. Were you lonely or something?" The cow stops pulling at his leash so he can softly nudge his head against Trini's. She chuckles. "You're a lot more clingy than Zack."

"Is this Zack person the one you left my master for?"

Trini's heart stops when she recognizes the man's voice. Colt stands before her, his shaggy red hair clashing with the white of the snow. He's sober now, compared to the last time she saw him, but he somehow manages to look even more displeased than before.

Trini returns the feeling - and expression - wholeheartedly. 

"I didn't leave him for anyone," she says. "I left him for me."

"Well, your little play of 'hard-to-get' has gone on long enough, miss," he says, annoyance clear in his voice. 

"How thick can all of you be?" Trini growls as she pinches the bridge of her nose. "I told Thomas and I told you literally just seconds ago. I _don't_ want to be with him!"

But again, he ignores what Trini said. "Do you have any idea how long we searched for you? Master Thomas made me and all his men scour the land! And I'll be damned if all of that was for nothing, just because a peasant girl can't appreciate the fortune given to her." He marches up to Trini and grabs her by the arm.

" _Pendejo_! Let go of me!"

Their struggle and Trini's cry causes a few stragglers to notice them, but they're too reluctant to do anything. Colt gets even more annoyed at due to the small audience they've gained.

"Just come with me and I'll take you to him. He'll pamper you until he gets sick of you and I get to rest from this goose chase. We all win."

Trini's scowl deepens. She struggles against his grip but it's all for naught. He's much taller and stronger than her. It's out of desperation and spite when she spits on his face in the most unlady-like way possible. Zack would be proud.

"Agh! You bitch!"

Colt gives trying to drag Trini and shoves her to the frozen ground instead. He pulls out his dagger from its sheath. Trini can hear frightened gasps over the rushing of blood in her ears. But even with the underlying fear she can feel, the intense glare she has directed towards Colt doesn't waver. 

"Dammit, why can't you just behave?!" he seethes.

"What are you doing?" a middle aged man says as he appears from the crowd. He's wearing an attire similar to Colt's, a uniform perhaps. His frown is clear despite his thick beard. "Colt, stop pointing your blade at a lady!" he reprimands. "You're attracting unwanted attention!"

"But Sir, it's her!" Colt points at Trini. "She's the one Master Thomas has been looking for!"

The man's expression softens when his eyes land on Trini. He approaches her to offer a helping hand. "I am terribly sorry for how Colt treated you, m'lady. No woman should be man-handled like that."

Trini doesn't take the offered hand. Instead she asks, "should a woman be forced to marry a man she doesn't even know?"

He sighs. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I've been given a job and I shall deliver."

Trini stands without his help. "Then you're not much better than him. Go away. I'm not anyone's possession meant to be retrieved."

"See, Samuel?" Colt whines. "This wench isn't worth the trouble! I say we pick up some other woman willing to come with us. Master Thomas won't even notice!"

But Samuel doesn't look like he's listening to what Colt said. It seems he's going to make an attempt at convincing Trini to come with them when they hear a bone shaking roar from with the forest's thick trees. 

The crowd that gathered to watch whatever was happening have silenced themselves. Only the sound of Beefcake's distress can be heard over the anxiety and fear caused by the terrifying roar. Trini strains her eyes for anything amiss among the trees until her vision sweeps over the color gold. She focuses on those two orbs, unsure why they look so familiar.

"That sounded terrifyingly familiar," she hears Samuel say from behind her.

"It was probably just a wolf or something," Colt says. His hand once again wraps around Trini's wrist while she was distracted. "Now, just quietly come with us and stop being a bother."

Another roar comes from the forest, this time louder and decidedly more terrifying. It all happens so fast. A creature twice Beefcake's size comes swooping into the open space. It roughly knocks Colt and Samuel off their feet as it flies past them. The resulting gust from the beast's massive wings pushes Trini back onto the ground. She lands near Beefcake, the cow leaning to worriedly nudge its head against hers. She rubs his cheek to assure him that she's okay, but her eyes never stray from the sight before her.

The beast covered in salmon-colored scales is crouched almost protectively over Trini and Beefcake. One of its wings is covering Trini almost out of view, its tail curling around her and barring anyone who might dare come nearer. She can hear its animalistic growl bubbling within its long throat, but Trini can't bring herself to be scared of the creature. There's something familiar in the way its wings are wrapped around her, soothing in how the heat from its body is thawing her.

"It's the dragon!" Samuel cries out. His sword is unsheathed, the red gem from its hilt glinting against the pale light of the winter sun. "It's the beast that killed the princess!"

It's no beast, Trini knows. She's the one who saved Trini when she lost hope in her own worth. She's the one who gave Trini a home to replace the one that condemned her. 

"Kimberly?" she whispers. 

It was barely audible, but the dragon's pointed ears twitch at the sound of her voice. Its head partially turns to look at her, one golden eye visible to Trini. The pupil of its eye was slit to a thin line, but it dilates as soon as it lands on her.

"Princess? Is that you?"

There's the sound of an arrow slicing through the wind before Kimberly's pained cry almost breaks Trini's ear drums. Trini looks to the wing blocking her and widens her eyes at the arrow piercing it.

Within the chaos of people running away from the dragon, Colt retrieved his crossbow and took his shot. He defiantly looks up at the beast, but his smug look is wiped from his face when the action only angers the dragon.

Kimberly raises her head, the base of her neck almost glowing red. Samuel's eyes widen. Somehow he's aware of what's going to happen next.

"Colt!" he screams before running to tackle his comrade away from the oncoming flames.

Trini is torn between terror and awe. She's never seen fire look so much like gold.

But Kimberly doesn't stop spitting fire then. It's like she's so blinded by rage that she'd let the whole market drown in flames.She leaves Trini's side, tackling and swiping her claws at the men who dared stay and fight the dragon.

"No, stop!" Trini says to a man wielding an ax. "Don't hurt her!"

"Are you crazy, woman?" the man says. "It's going to kill us if we don't end it!"

They hear Kimberly let out another roar. Trini feels her heart stop when she sees that Samuel has managed to climb Kimberly's back and stab her hind leg with a thick dagger.

"Kimberly!"

Kimberly thrashes until she manages to shake Samuel off of her. Trini runs to her side, ignoring the flames licking her skin. 

"Oh my god..." Trini pales at the blade impaled upon Kimberly's leg. Samuel was strong enough to embed the dagger up to its guard. Trini doesn't know how Kimberly has a bigger form now, but she does know that if Kimberly goes back to her smaller form, this injury would be a lot more problematic. "Kimberly, you have to stop! You're only terrifying them!" She waves an arm at the flames. "You're hurting them!"

"Lady Trini!" Samuel calls out, sword in hand. "Get away from that beast!"

"She's not a beast!" She turns to Kimberly, pleads once again, "Kim!"

Kimberly hears her this time. It's mouth stops spewing out fire. She leans her head towards Trini, but Samuel fails to understand that the dragon has no intention of hurting her. He charges with a cry and Trini moves to shield Kimberly when she hears it. Samuel had already swung his sword before he could notice Trini coming between them. Trini closes her eyes, bracing herself for the slash of the blade.

But it never comes.

She hesitantly opens her eyes. Relief immediately washes over her when she sees a battered red scarf and the knight wearing it. Jason threw himself in front of Samuel, blocking his sword with his arm.

"What the _hell_ , Kim?!" is the first thing Jason says.

Trini finds herself laughing at his exasperation despite the circumstance. "Sorry, Jason. I guess she followed us here."

Samuel looks between Trini and Jason with frantic eyes. "Why are you..." Recognition colors his face before roughly kicking Jason at the chest. Jason lands with a loud clang, his helmet rolling to Trini's feet. "That name is..." His eyes widen when he sees Jason get to his feet, headless and all. He points his blade at him. "What in heaven's name are you?!"

Jason catches the helmet Trini throws back to him before screwing it back on. "Honestly been asking myself that question for six years."

Kimberly roars again, her huge head tackling Samuel so hard he goes flying into one of the burning stalls.

Jason makes a frustrated sound. "Oh my god, I swear!" He points a finger at Kimberly who manages to look like the most confused dragon Trini never thought she would see. "As soon as we're back home you're in _big_ trouble. Trini, get Kim to fly both of you home."

"What about you?"

"I have to go save my father first. Beefcake will get me home."

Trini blinks. "I'm sorry. _Who_?"

But Jason is already running as he yells, "We literally don't have the time to unpack that right now!"

Right.

Kimberly is back to growling at the people around them, her eyes shining gold at the burning scenery.

"Kimberly!"

Kimberly immediately snaps her attention to Trini whose lips twitch to a smile. So all she has to do is call for her name to get her to look at her.

"Kim, please. I know you only attacked Colt and Samuel because you wanted to protect me and Jason. And I appreciate that, I do. But you have to stop. We're fine now. See?"

She slowly steps closer. She can feel Kimberly's ragged breathing calm down. The dragon's head lowers until it's level with Trini. She lets herself rest a hand on its snout and Kimberly's eyes immediately close. Trini can see a spot on the scales near Kimberly's mouth colored darker than the rest, almost like a mole. She unconsciously places her hand there.

"Let's go home," Trini says.

Kimberly's snout presses against Trini in a soft nudge. She can hear a low rumbling from below the dragon's throat that almost sounds like a purr. Trini laughs.

Kimberly pulls away but her body crouches lower to the ground. She gives Trini a look and she immediately understands. She climbs the dragon's back with the help of her tail. Once Kimberly is sure that she's secure, she stretches out her wings and starts to take flight. 

Trini looks at the chaos below, only relaxing when she sees that Jason is already untying Beefcake. She sighs, turns her attention back the dragon she's mounting. Kimberly gained many injuries from the men who attempted to kill her. Thankfully none of the damage were fatal.

Trini curls her body closer to the beast, as an attempt to cling tighter against the rapid wind and somehow offer Kimberly comfort. 

"Just hang on a little longer," Trini whispers.

They'll be home soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before anyone asks:
> 
> Yes, that was Kimberly who was Trini's first crush. Yes, that same market was where they met. No, they wont realise it , at least not by the time the fic is over. And that moment in their life was only really special to Trini. To fourteen y.o. Kim, Trini was the cute kid she liked to sometimes talk to. She did feel sad when she came back to the market one day and Trini was no longer there, but she quickly got over it. At the time she was still infatuated with Amanda :)


	9. I'll Hold On To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has only now dawned on Trini what home really means for her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so who missed this?
> 
> chapter title is from "All Our Days" from RWBY's original sountrack

Kimberly is losing altitude and speed, Trini can tell. She wraps her arms more tightly around the dragon's neck. She can barely feel her fingers anymore. Her ears, too. If they've already fallen off, carried by the wind, she wouldn't notice. 

Lord, what a ridiculously gruesome image to think of.

"Just a little more, Princess," Trini says against the wind and through her chattering teeth. The message is for herself, too. She really hates winter. "Just hang on a bit longer. We're almost home."

Kimberly croons, this low rumble in her throat that for some reason makes Trini's heart ache. Then Trini feels warmth, first on her finger tips before it spreads to her body. Trini sighs, buries her face in the dragon's hair. Even though Kimberly's the injured one, she still finds it in her to worry about and care for Trini.

They're almost to the castle by the time Trini opens her eyes again. "Oh, thank god."

Kimberly had just enough strength to keep herself from crashing into the closed drawbridge, her tail likely painfully grazing it as she roughly lands in front of the castle's entrance with a low whimper.

Trini makes her way down the dragon's body, eyeing all of the princess' injuries. Her worried gaze lingers on the arrows piercing Kimberly's wings and the thick dagger buried in her bloody leg. 

Kimberly's head is on the frosted ground, too tired to even lift up. Trini hugs the end of her snout. "Oh, princess..." The tears streaming from her eyes chill her cold cheeks even more.

She hears the gigantic doors to the entrance burst open before Zack's worried cry of Kimberly's name.

"We heard the noise and came here as fast as we could! Kimberly! Oh, Kimberly, you're bleeding!"

Trini doesn't have the heart to listen to any more of Billy's distressed stammering. She keeps her attention on Kimberly, on her heavy breathing and pitiful whines. 

"We have to take care of her wounds," Zack says.

Trini flinches away from Kimberly when she feels Kimberly's temperature dramatically increase. Trini's hands and legs throb painfully now that the cold wind from before can't distract her from the burns she got from Kimberly's flames licking her skin.

They watch hot steam come out of Kimberly's body, the heat making Trini's burns sting even more. "W-What's happening?"

"Calm down, Crazy Girl," Zack says with his hands on her shoulders. "Kim's just coming back."

"She'll need to borrow this." 

Billy doesn't even wait for Trini's permission before taking her cloak and running through the steam that's now thick enough to keep Kimberly from being seen. Zack follows him and leaves Trini there, seeing as she can't get close without being burned anyway.

"God damn, that fucking _hurts_ ," she hears Kimberly croak out.

Trini's heart swells when she finally sees Kimberly, now in the form she's used to seeing, being carried by Zack and Billy. Her bare form is now covered in Trini's cloak that is slowly getting soaked by the princess' blood.

"Princess!" Trini cries, running over to Kimberly to cup her face in her hands. But then she flinches them away when her still burnt palms get scalded by Kimberly's scales.

"Sorry," Kimberly apologizes with a sheepish voice. "You probably shouldn't touch me for a while." She blinks. "Not... Not to say that you _have_ to. I mean -"

" _Kim_ ," Zack cuts her off. "You are literally bleeding in at least five places. You can go be cute _after_ I've patched you up."

"Ugh." Kimberly tilts her head down and just lets it limply hang there as the boys drag her inside the castle and past the vast foyer.

"What happened?" Billy asks Trini. "Where's Jason?"

"Colt, one of Tommy's men, found me and then Princess Kimberly - what were you even doing there?"

Kimberly winces as they climb the flight of stairs. "Can you just scold me after Zack has me all stitched up?"

Trini's expression softens. Right. "Kimberly swooped in to protect me, but all the villagers got scared and started attacking her. Then the princess started shooting fire everywhere. Jason got held back because he had to save his father."

The situation was too urgent to haul Kimberly to the west wing where her room is. They had to lay her down on the couch of the study. Trini takes the initiative to light the fire. 

"Samuel was there?" Billy asks, disbelief clear in his voice.

"Yes, he's also working for the Olivers." Trini's jaw clenches. "He wanted me to go with him to Tommy."

Kimberly growls, her fangs grit in a snarl as she glares at the ceiling. "The Samuel I knew understood better than to force a lady like that."

Zack and Billy exchange a glance, holding a silent conversation. Then Zack speaks, "We'll talk about this later. We have to get those things out of your body first."

Zack orders Trini and Billy to fetch everthing they would need to clean Kimberly's wounds. Zack takes out the arrows in her wings first. Zack makes sure to be careful in all his attempts, but Kimberly can't help the occassional growls and whines. Her claws dig deeper into the furniture every time an arrow is pulled out. By the time Zack has taken out the last one, the back of the couch is spitting out cotton.

"Samuel did this?" Zack says about the dagger and Trini nods. "I see he's still strong for an old man. Dragon hide isn't very easy to penetrate. Sorry, Kim. This one's going to be extremely painful. I'll have to stitch it up."

Kimberly closes her eyes, still breathing heavily. "God damn, that's a huge dagger."

Trini's heart aches at the strain in her voice. She kneels in front of Kimberly. She can't do anything but hold her hand in a helpless attempt at comfort. "You can do this, Princess."

Kimberly's eyes fly open. They linger for a moment on their hands before making eye contact with Trini. "Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's just the leg, right? Not near any vital organs and such."

"People can still bleed out and die from injuries like that," Billy says. "Or get an infection."

Kimberly's head flops back into the arm of the couch. "Thanks, Billy." She breathes in, squeezes Trini's hand once before she lets go and grabs the edge of the couch instead. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Kimberly lets out a roar the moment Zack starts pulling, then it turns into whines and whimpers. Trini bites her lip, refusing to look at the wound and instead on Kimberly's strained face. 

Trini is reminded of times when she would get sick or hurt, her mother always there to wrap her in her arms. It didn't matter that they'd fought the day before. June would kiss her on the temple anyway and the action would comfort Trini no matter how mad she was.

With that thought in mind, she wraps her arms around Kimberly, feels her whimper against her neck. "Shh, just a bit more, Kim," she whispers. Trini forces herself to look at the injured leg, just long enough to see that Zack has completely pulled the dagger out. "We're almost done. Just hang in there, Kimberly."

"All right," Zack says. "Keep doing that, Trini. We need Kim to be as still as possible for this. Billy, hold her legs down. Kim, please don't kick me. Just tell me when you're ready."

She feels Kimberly let out a shaky breath before nodding.

Listening to a friend suffer is _agony_ , Trini learns that night. She can do nothing but hold Kimberly and whisper words of encouragement. She never thought helplessness could feel this painful. She thinks she might have kissed Kimberly's temple at one poin in a desperate attempt to help. She just wants it to be over.

Soon, the sound of the thick needle clattering against the bowl of boiled water alerts Trini that it must be over. Trini chances a glance, pushes down the bile in her throat when she sees the sofa and Zack's gauntlets soaked with Kimberly's blood.

Zack lets himself crash on the floor, breathing out, "Finally... done..."

Trini sighs in relief. Kimberly groans more than anything and mumbles something about being tired. Trini smiles gratefully at Zack. "You are a life saver, Zack."

Zack waves a hand, still sprawled on the floor. "I know, I'm amazing. Billy, could you take care of bandaging? My magical hands are still shaking."

"Already on it, don't worry. You should probably go check on the drawbridge. Jason might be back by now."

Zack shoots up. "Damn. Right."

Trini hears Kimberly mumble something again but couldn't understand. "Hm? What was that?"

Kimberly takes Trini's hand to see her open palm. "I burned you."

"Oh, right. That's nothing. It's not as bad as it looks."

"I hurt you." A different kind of pain washes over Kimberly's features. "I hurt you _again_."

Trini resists the urge to touch her left shoulder. The wounds have already healed, now only scars that remind her of what Kimberly is capable of when her temper is left unchecked.

"Hey, you didn't mean to."

Despite the pain she went through when Zack was treating her wounds, Kimberly didn't cry. It's so strange how she chooses this moment to finally tear up. "I did it again. I'm so sorry."

"I'm _fine_ , Kimberly. I was the one who came charging into the flames. I couldn't let them hurt you." She brushes away the strand of hair that made its way to Kimberly's face. "You really should've just stayed hidden, Princess."

Kimberly goes back to burying her face in Trini's shoulder. "I couldn't let them take you."

Trini finds herself flustered at the contact. Kimberly isn't clinging to her because of the pain anymore. She's just... doing it because she wants to now. Trini tries to divert her attention elsewhere. Her eyes land on Billy, who must have just been observing their exchange. He jumps when he gets caught staring. 

"I, um..." He coughs. "Did you guys need some privacy, or..?"

Kimberly doesn't react. Trini would have thought she's asleep if not for the hand gripping her sleeve. Trini, however, reddens. "No, no. This is not-"

"Kim!" Jason comes bursting into the room, Zack not far behind him. He runs to them and drops to his knees. He looks at Kimberly's injured form and Trini becomes overly conscious of her position with the princess basically curled around her. "You goddamn, idiot." Jason makes a sound, like he's letting out a shaky breath. "Thank God they didn't get you. I don't know what I would do if..."

Kimberly gives him a soft look. "Jason..."

Trini _really_ doesn't want to be here for this.

"Hey, Zack, can you help me out?" she announces as she separates herself from Kimberly's embrace. "I got a little burned earlier."

"Oh, of course! You stay here. Billy and I will get more clean water and some ointment."

Trini's shoulders tense up and she takes one glance at Kimberly and Jason. They're having a hushed conversation with Kimberly's hand held in both of his gauntlets. Something unpleasant settles in Trini's stomach when the realization fully settles. 

_Of course._

"I can just come with -" Trini starts but Zack and Billy are already gone. She sighs.

"Are you okay, Trini?" Jason asks. 

Kimberly lets out a displeased sound and grumbles, "I burned her."

Jason lets go of Kimberly's hand. "I _knew_ this would happen. This is why I don't like it when you leave the castle, Kim!"

"Oh, so what?" Kimberly scoffs. "You expect me to let loose in that form and burn a village every time I so much as go outside?"

It seems Kimberly's guilt gets overshadowed by the indignance Jason's reprimanding pulls out of her. Trini can empathize. It's why her arguments with June had always escalated. But it doesn't make Trini any less exasperated by the situation. She just sits quietly in one of the chairs as Kimberly and Jason exchange verbal blows. 

Trini and Zack may squabble often, but they had always been about the little things. Kimberly and Jason's arguments, however, often ends with either of them walking - or in Kimberly's case, flying - away. But they're always fine the following day, so Trini, Zack, and Billy have learned to just let them blow off steam. Not unlike a married couple, really.

Trini suddenly wants to kick herself for the analogy.

"No, but you _knew_ how dangerous it would be," Jason continues. "For you and anyone else who could be involved." His arms flail in an exasperated gesture. "Why were you even there?!"

"I was worried, okay?" Kimberly barks back. "I had a feeling Tommy was still looking for Trini."

"A _feeling_ ," Jason shakes his head in disbelief. "You left the safety of your castle over a _feeling_! Can you hear how ridiculous you sound right now?"

"Say what you want about my instincts or my impulse control, but I was right. Jason, I feel bad for hurting Samuel and anyone else in that market... I feel _terrible_ for hurting Trini. But I don't regret following you knowing we could have lost Trini."

Trini finds herself overwhelmed by the intensity of Kimberly's resolute face. She wants to say that this shouldn't have happened in the first place. She's not worth all this trouble and pain. But she doesn't speak. She doesn't understand why Kimberly's statement makes her so happy.

"No, Kim, this is bad," Jason shakes his head again, more vigorously this time. Trini's a tad worried his helmet would fly off if he continues. "Your feelings are fueling your recklessness even more than your cursed body already is."

There's a minute gasp coming from Kimberly. Her ears flatten and she hisses Jason's name like she's reprimanding him for something.

Jason stills. Trini can imagine him blinking in realization of something she isn't aware of. Both of them suddenly look at Trini like they have only now remembered she was in the room. The frustration in Kimberly's face when she was arguing with Jason has now been replaced by a bashfulness Trini can't pinpoint the cause of.

"Sorry," Trini awkwardly croaks out when neither of them say anything. "I would leave the room and give you guys privacy, but Zack told me to wait here." 

"No, _we're_ sorry," Jason replies. "How are your burns?"

"Painful." Trini notices the guilt on Kimberly's face, so she adds, "But it's nothing I can't handle."

It isn't long before Zack and Billy come back to treat Trini's wounds. 

"We'll have to cover your tracks," Billy says when Zack is done wrapping Trini's hands and is moving on to her legs. "I know you and Beefcake tried your best to lose your tail, Jason, but we have to make sure."

Jason nods. "I know. I'm not even sure if we _did_ lose them. We'll have to leave as soon as possible."

Zack says, "So I'm guessing 'we' means all of us sans our injured ladies."

Billy shrugs. "No one's looking for us."

"We'll redirect the people's attention," Jason tells Trini and Kimberly. "Create a diversion. Leave fake trails, clues, rumors that would lead them away from the castle. We won't be back for a while."

Kimberly levels Jason with a worried look. "What if you run into Samuel?"

Jason is quiet and still for so long that Trini considers for a second that he may no longer be animated. But then his gauntlet wraps around a sword tucked to his belt. It's the same one Samuel was using. He must have taken it.

"I'll deal with that problem when I get there," he finally says. "Let's focus on this for now."

°°°° °°°° °°°° °°°° 

"Don't open this drawbridge while we're gone," Billy tells Trini. Zack and Jason are finishing unloading the supplies they managed to buy from the market before the mayhem Kimberly caused. "Give us eleven days. Only open it when you see we've returned, okay? Just in case."

Trini looks back at the castle, at the west wing where Kimberly is resting in her room. Though the curtains are drawn, she knows Kimberly is watching.

"I'm sorry," Trini tells Billy. "I'm sorry you have to go through all this trouble. If the princess didn't need to save me from Colt, none of this would have happened." Her brows furrow, her fists clenched tight at her sides. Her eyes attempt to burn a hole through the frosted ground "I... I should be the one leaving. I'm not worth all this. I'm-"

She remembers Kimberly's pained cries, the blood that has now soaked their favorite couch. To think that villagers could be on their way here, preparing themselves to slay what they presume is a beast. To think that Kimberly could get hurt again because of her. She can feel the bile rising up her throat.

"I'm not worth _bleeding_ for. I'm not worth it at all."

"No. No, Trini." Billy gently grabs Trini's forearms. The fact that Billy is the one to initiate contact is enough of a surprise to Trini. "That's not true at all."

But Trini doesn't listen to his reassurances. "I should go. Or let the Olivers take me. Maybe it would take the attention away from the princess."

"No, please don't say things like that. This is all very unfortunate, but we're not going to send you away because of this. Because of anything."

"But the princess is hurt because of me. You're supposed to protect her no matter what. You're her knights." She shakes her head. No, that's no longer the case. She doesn't think it's what ever truly mattered. "She's your _family_."

"You're family, too."

Trini's breath hitches at the statement. That can't be true. How could he say that? Kimberly, Jason, Zack, and Billy have been together for years. Have been through so much. How can he compare them to a mere peasant girl who stumbled into their castle a few months ago?

But Billy has never lied before.

"This is all very incovenient," Billy admits. "But my momma said that going through all of that together is what families do. The only chance we're ever letting you go is if you don't want to be with us anymore."

"No! I..."

"Alright." Jason exclaims as he and Zack make their way down the castle's entrance. "Time to go." He places a hand on Trini's shoulder. "Take care of each other, okay?" he says in this soft way that always made Trini wish she had an older brother.

Trini swallows, fights back the tear that is rudely starting to leak out of her eyes.

She yelps when Zack envelopes her in a hug, hisses his name when he presses the top of his cold helmet against her forehead. "Don't miss us too much, Crazy Girl."

"You're cold," is her reply instead of admitting that missing them is all she would probably do.

"Sorry," Zack laughs and pulls away. He unwraps his black scarf from himself and Trini doesn't protest when he coils it around her neck. "Is that warm enough for your poor shivering meat suit, m'lady?"

She scoffs. "Your battered scarf is useless."

It's almost amazing how Zack can make a head tilt look so cocky. "Then why aren't you taking it off?"

"Just leave already, you rust bucket!"

Zack cackles away. Billy could only offer a wave of his hand before joining the two boys on Beefcake's cart.

She wonders why it's only struck her now. How much these people mean to her. Why the ache in her chest when she thinks of her mother isn't as painful as it could be. As it _should_ be. She lost her family, but she found a new one.

When the drawbridge is finally closed, Trini lets herself linger by the foyer. She lets the tears fall there. Their cause? Trini isn't quite sure yet. The ache is still there, but there's also the joy in knowing that she has people who would _choose_ to be with her. An actual home.

It's all very confusing, really. This is why she doesn't like crying, or showing it to anyone else.

She climbs the steps when her eyes have dried, makes her way to the west wing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy
> 
> so so sorry this took so long. if you guys don't know, i only write my fics from my phone. and ive recently had problems with the screen, which made typing super difficult. i really wanted this chapter to be longer, but i decided to cut it there since i havent update in so long. 
> 
> and since no one guessed it right, the mysterious man who sold the mirror to trini is....... Goldar! i really thought it was obvious enough with all the gold stuff, but i guess i didnt leave enough clues. i was gonna go ahead and have him say he's called Mr. Gold, but i think that's way too close to Once Upon A Time's Rumplestiltskin's other name. i'll have to think of something else. unless you guys have some cool suggestions? so yeh, in this au, rita and goldar are siblings. whoo!
> 
> next chapter will be pure trimberly heh
> 
> as always, comments are very much appreciated :D


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